NOBILITY AND CIVILITY

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Harvard University Press, 2004 - 256 pages
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Globalization has become an inescapable fact of contemporary life. Some leaders, in both the East and the West, believe that human rights are culture-bound and that liberal democracy is essentially Western, inapplicable to the non-Western world. How can civilized life be preserved and issues of human rights and civil society be addressed if the material forces dominating world affairs are allowed to run blindly, uncontrolled by any cross-cultural consensus on how human values can be given effective expression and direction?

In a thoughtful meditation ranging widely over several civilizations and historical eras, Wm. Theodore de Bary argues that the concepts of leadership and public morality in the major Asian traditions offer a valuable perspective on humanizing the globalization process. Turning to the classic ideals of the Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian, and Japanese traditions, he investigates the nature of true leadership and its relation to learning, virtue, and education in human governance; the role in society of the public intellectual; and the responsibilities of those in power in creating and maintaining civil society.

De Bary recognizes that throughout history ideals have always come up against messy human complications. Still, he finds in the exploration and affirmation of common values a worthy attempt to grapple with persistent human dilemmas across the globe.

From inside the book

 

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Page 44
At this point we turn back to the “ nobility ” of the Buddha , and ask whether , as
Buddhism spread to the East , it did not encounter similar questions as to how its
“ nobility of the spirit , ” its world - transcending pursuit of Nirvana , would relate to
 ...
Page 147
In the East Asian maritime trade of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was
not unusual for books to circulate on the sea lanes among China , Korea , Japan ,
the Ryûkyûs , Taiwan , Vietnam , and on into Southeast Asia . But word ...
Page 151
Thus far we have dealt with it primarily on the level of the village community , and
this is certainly appropriate for an East Asia still predominantly agricultural and
for societies still operating mostly at the opposing poles of local village and ...

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Contents

The Noble Paths of Buddha and Rama
13
Buddhist Spirituality and Chinese Civility
44
Shotokus Constitution and the Civil
63
Copyright

8 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

NOBILITY AND CIVILITY
William Theodore De Bary
Limited preview - 2009
NOBILITY AND CIVILITY
William Theodore De Bary,Wm. Theodore De Bary
Limited preview - 2004

Common terms and phrases

able achieve adapted arts authority basis became become Buddhahood Buddhism called century China Chinese civil claim classic common concept concern Confucian constitutional contrast court cultivation culture duty early East Emperor established ethic expressed feudal followed force hand Heaven historical human idea ideal Imperial important individual interests Japan Japanese kind king knowledge later leadership learning liberal live lord loyalty matter means military mind monks moral nature Neo-Confucian nobility Noble official one's original party period political practice present principle question Rama relations religion religious represent respect responsibility ritual role rule ruler sage samurai seen sense serve similar social society speak spiritual Sutra teaching things thought tion tradition true truth universal values virtue warrior West whole Zhu Xi's

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About the author (2004)

William Theodore de Bary was born in the Bronx, New York on August 9, 1919. He graduated from Columbia College in 1941 and began pursuing Japanese studies at Harvard University. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he was recruited by naval intelligence. He served at Pearl Harbor and later in Tokyo and Washington. After the war, he received a master's degree and a doctorate from Columbia. He taught Asian courses at Columbia and soon became head of Asian studies. From 1971 until 1978, he served as a vice president for academic affairs and provost. After formally retiring in 1989, he continued to teach with emeritus status until May 2017. He wrote or edited more than 30 books including The Great Civilized Conversation: Education for a World Community and Sources of Chinese Tradition. In 2013, he received the National Humanities Medal. He died on July 14, 2017 at the age of 97.

Bibliographic information

QR code for NOBILITY AND CIVILITY
TitleNOBILITY AND CIVILITY
AuthorsWilliam Theodore De Bary, Wm. Theodore De Bary
PublisherHarvard University Press, 2004
Original fromthe University of Michigan
Digitized17 okt. 2008
ISBN0674015576, 9780674015579
Length256 pages
  
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