Weiming) has assisted in defining the New Confucian movement, a philosophical discourse that depends on axiological themes and traits based on an exegesis and defense of the revival and reform of traditional Confucian discourse inherited from the Classical and Neo-Confucian waves in East Asia. Thomas A. Metzger’s discussion of the profound difference between modern Western post-Enlightenment discourse and New Confucian discourse challenges many of Du’s primary assumptions. My conclusion is that Du is both a citizen of the modern Western academy (...) and a Confucian public intellectual dedicated to mediating the great debate that now spans the Pacific ocean between the West and a revived East Asian cultural complex, including New Confucianism as a major dialogue partner at the beginning of the new millennium by continuing the historic Confucian commitment to a theory of values. (shrink)

This essay presents and examines the book Returning to Zhu Xi: Emerging Patterns within the Supreme Polarity edited by David Jones and Jinli He. I argue that the contributions introduce new conclusions of the investigations on Zhu Xi’s thought, made during the last 30 years, thus continuing the previous scholarly dialogue initiated by Wing-tsit Chan. I then examine the new translations of Zhu Xi’s main terms proposed in this volume, as well as the topics proposed by the contributors. I conclude (...) by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the writers’ arguments. (shrink)