Confucian Philosophy
In Chinese tradition Confucianism has been always both
a philosophy of moral self-cultivation for the human individual and an
ideological guide for political institutional policy and governmental action.
After the May 4th Movement of 1919 (WusiYundong ),
Confucianism lost much of its moral appeal and political authority and entered a
kind of limbo, bearing blame for the backwardness and weakening of China. Now that China has asserted its political rights among world nations, it seems natural to ask whether Confucianism as a
philosophy has a modern or even postmodern role to play for building modern China and for enlightening the world. This question is even more meaningful in light of the fact that there is a genuine need felt in China
for a return to its Confucian heritage and vision for purposes of sustaining societal harmonization and reconstructing
cultural identity in the modern world.
Chung-ying Cheng, internationally known philosopher of East-West integration and a leading representative of Neo-Confucian philosophy in contemporary world, was born in 1935 in China, received his college education at National Taiwan University in Taipei with major in philosophy and literature. He received his M.A. in Philosophy from University of Washington, received Ph.D. in Philosophy from Harvard University and started teaching in 1964. He became a tenured full Professor of Philosophy by 1972 at University of Hawaii at Manoa.