Classical Confucianism and Moral Sentimentalism

Contemporary virtue ethics had developed mainly in theAristotelian tradition.Recently, however, a few non-Aristotelianforms of virtue ethics have emerged. Among them, the most radicaldeparture from the ancient Greek tradition is found in MichaelSlote`s agent-based virtue ethics inspired by the eighteenthcentury British moral sentimentalism and the contemporary feministethics of care. In light of this new trend, the virtue ethicistRosalind Hursthouse has anticipated that although the growinginterest in ancient Chinese ethics currently tends to emphasize itscommon ground with the ancient Greek tradition, as it gainsstrength, it may well introduce a more radical departure. This workexemplifies the more radical departure she rightly predicates. Inthis groundbreaking book, the author argues that there are severalkey points of convergence between classical Confucian ethics andthe ethics of empathic caring in the moral sentimentalisttradition. Scholars or any one who is interested in Chinesephilosophy, comparative ethics, feminist ethics, and Asian studiesshould find this book useful and informative as it provides a newperspective on classical Confucianism.