This paper investigates Chinese cosmopolitanism advocated by Wang Yang-ming（1472-1529） , a famous Confucian philosopher, and its implications for contemporary global governance and China＇s soft-power build-up. It a...This paper investigates Chinese cosmopolitanism advocated by Wang Yang-ming（1472-1529） , a famous Confucian philosopher, and its implications for contemporary global governance and China＇s soft-power build-up. It aims to provide a more inclusive perception of world order, and calls for a less nationalistic and hegemonic understanding of Confucianism in contemporary China＇s intellectual or ideological projections, which has been used to envision China＇s foreign policies recently. For the political use of the word ＂ harmony＂ today seems similar to instrumentalization of Confucianism in history. I focus on his idea of ＂being one body with the cosmos＂ and its socio-political dimensions of the world as one family, and then bring them into dialogue with the recent Western theorizing of liberal cosmopolitanism -- an idea of world citizenship which bases global governance on a universally rational foundation. I argue that Wang bases his cosmopolitanism upon graded care and a particular sense of sympathy. It is a sort of moral sentiment of embodied oneness and a cosmic psyche in caring for Heaven, earth, and the myriad creatures like caring for one＇s own body. It also accommodates ＂ integral pluralism＂ which urges one to sincerely and properly construe others＇ cultures and traditions without blindly embracing or rejecting them. Such cosmopolitanism is not an abstract love based on human rationality, but an allinclusive care with graded sympathy to others.展开更多
文摘This paper investigates Chinese cosmopolitanism advocated by Wang Yang-ming（1472-1529） , a famous Confucian philosopher, and its implications for contemporary global governance and China＇s soft-power build-up. It aims to provide a more inclusive perception of world order, and calls for a less nationalistic and hegemonic understanding of Confucianism in contemporary China＇s intellectual or ideological projections, which has been used to envision China＇s foreign policies recently. For the political use of the word ＂ harmony＂ today seems similar to instrumentalization of Confucianism in history. I focus on his idea of ＂being one body with the cosmos＂ and its socio-political dimensions of the world as one family, and then bring them into dialogue with the recent Western theorizing of liberal cosmopolitanism -- an idea of world citizenship which bases global governance on a universally rational foundation. I argue that Wang bases his cosmopolitanism upon graded care and a particular sense of sympathy. It is a sort of moral sentiment of embodied oneness and a cosmic psyche in caring for Heaven, earth, and the myriad creatures like caring for one＇s own body. It also accommodates ＂ integral pluralism＂ which urges one to sincerely and properly construe others＇ cultures and traditions without blindly embracing or rejecting them. Such cosmopolitanism is not an abstract love based on human rationality, but an allinclusive care with graded sympathy to others.
