The volume explores the various meanings and implications of harmony so as to consider its relevance as a value and virtue in the modern world.

He (和), or harmony, has traditionally been a central concept in Chinese thought, and to this day continues to shape the way in which people in China and East Asia think about ethics and politics. Yet, there is no systematic and comprehensive introduction of harmony as has been variously articulated in different Chinese schools. This edited volume aims to fill this gap. The individual contributions elaborate the conceptions of harmony as these were exemplified in central Chinese schools of thought, including Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, Buddhism, and trace their impact on contemporary Chinese philosophy. The volume explores the various meanings and implications of harmony so as to consider its relevance as a value and virtue in the modern world. It provides an accessible but substantial introductory work for readers interested in learning about pertinent core concepts and theories in Chinese thought, as well as engages specialists in Chinese philosophy by explicating its implications for ethical, political, epistemological, and metaphysical reflection as the basic point of reference.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: In Search of Harmony

Section I: Historical and Conceptual Frameworks

Chapter 1: “He (和)”, Concept Cluster of Harmony in Early China

Chapter 2: Music and the Concept of Harmony as Seen in Unearthed Manuscripts

Chapter 3: Active Harmony, Passive Harmony, Freedom, and Domination

Section II: Daoism

4. Divergent Models of Harmony From the Zhuangzi

Chapter 5: “Being Cool with Something (he zhi和之):” Conflict Resolution in the Zhuangzi

Chapter 6: Emptying the Body: The Space of Harmonization in Han Daoism

Section III: Confucianism

Chapter 7: Confucian Harmony as Ritual Synchronicity

Chapter 8: Harmony as Hermeneutic Openness: Aesthetic Perspectives on Confucian Harmony

Section IV: Contending Voices of Mohism, Legalism, and Buddhism

Chapter 9: Tong: A Mohist Response to the Confucian Harmony

Chapter 10: The Divergence between the Confucian and Legalist Quest for Harmony

Chapter 11: Harmony and Nature: Thoughts from Laozi and Shen Dao

Chapter 12. Harmony and Paradox: The Tiantai Buddhist View of the “Round/Perfect” (yuan圓)

Section V: Contemporary Discussions

Chapter 13: Reflections on Three Challenges to a Discussion of Harmony

Chapter 14: Meritocracy, Democracy, and Deep Harmony: Toward Democratic Relationality

List of Contributors