According to Alasdair MacIntyre, one of the marks of a great tradition is its ability to grow: when systems of thought and practice do not successfully respond to epistemological challenges, they die. The recent work of Michael Nylan and Thomas Wilson reminds us that political and social developments test the viability of cultural institutions as well. In particular, the adaptability of Confucianism is on persuasive display in their Lives of Confucius: Civilization's Greatest Sage through the Ages. This book presents the ever-changing face of Confucius, or Kongzi. It proceeds from the earliest accounts of his life down to the contemporary era, in which we debate questions that the Sage would find surprising, if not incomprehensible, including, how should Confucianism promote itself on the global market, if at all? Can Confucians be feminists?
The authors begin with the historical Confucius: the probably illegitimate child of a minor government official in the...
