This book is a comparative study of the Anglican Bishop Joseph Butler s and Neo-Confucianist Wang Yangming s ethical enterprise. It first analyses, within their respective historical context, the two thinkers overarching worldviews and their seminal conception of conscience / liang-chih as a person's supreme moral guide. The English bishop and the Chinese philosopher-military general are then brought into dialogue by way of a comparing and contrasting of their distinct religious-philosophical traditions. In addition, Butler and Wang will be placed in a hypothetical encounter to explore how...

China's rise is currently reconfiguring the established global order. Recently, Beijing has been reviving ancient Chinese religious traditions to present a more curated, softer image of the PRC to the world at large. This book examines the resurging influence of the ancient Chinese sacred ethos, exploring how a rejuvenated Confucian-Daoist-Buddhist moral enterprise may shape the evolving character of modern China. It covers subjects ranging from social-political reform to inter-civilizations engagement, and from bioethical issues to environmental concerns. The book also argues for a stronger...