Confucian Thought: Selfhood As Creative Transfo... Now

Tu Weiming argues that this Confucian model offers a vital alternative to modern "instrumental rationality" and extreme individualism. It proposes that true freedom is found not in independence from others, but in the that allows for both personal growth and social harmony.

: Selfhood begins with the physical person. The body is not a prison for the soul but a sacred vessel that must be disciplined and respected through ritual ( li ). Confucian Thought: Selfhood as Creative Transfo...

: The ultimate stage where the individual's moral character resonates with the "Way" ( Dao ) of the cosmos, achieving a religious dimension of existence without needing an external deity. Significance in Modernity Tu Weiming argues that this Confucian model offers

: Tu Weiming emphasizes that the self eventually reaches a state where it is "at one" with the universe. This "anthropocosmic" view suggests that by fulfilling our human nature, we also participate in the creative work of Heaven and Earth. The Dimensions of Cultivation The body is not a prison for the

: The center of human cognition and emotion. Cultivation requires aligning the mind-heart with the principle of "Humaneness" ( Ren ).