Healing a Divided Society Through “Purifying People’s Heart”: New Confucian Liang Shuming’s Pursuit of the Truth of Confucianism

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in Education Roundtable Session (Table 2)

Abstract

The focus of this study is on how New Confucian Liang Shuming’s attempts to search for the truth of Confucianism within a divided society during the era of May Fourth / New Culture Movement. My inquiry begins with the exploration of how Liang conceived of the importance of “the purification of people’s heart” to Chinese society in keep with the formula of nei sheng-wai wang. Next, I will turn to the issue of how Liang’s The Cultures of East and West and Their Philosophies “legitimize” Confucian tradition in the face of iconoclastic intellectuals’ attacks during the May Fourth period. Last,this study will discuss the feasibility and limitations of Liang’s New Confucian philosophy within contemporary social and cultural configuration.

Author

• James Yang, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University