The Measure of All Things by Ken Alder

The Measure of All Things by Ken Alder

Using current research from traditional sources and newly unearthed documents dating from the Warring States period (403-221 B.C.E.), Mencius on Becoming Human offers a timely interpretation of a central text in the Confucian canon. The author carefully reconstructs the philosophical assumptions that underwrite the teachings of the Mencius, returning the text to its native intellectual world. The result is a compelling new reading of an ancient classic, one that is both sensitive to the details of historical context and contemporary in its philosophical implications.

James Behuniak Jr. argues that the notion of an essential, ahistorical human nature is not part of the process of becoming human outlined in the Mencius. Rather, becoming human is described as a process of developing a qualitatively human disposition within specific cultural and historical conditions as these are understood within a Warring States cosmology. The central themes of the Menciusthe importance of family, moral development, and human advancementare each discussed within this reconstructed framework.

Milton H. Alder is Ken Alder. Northwestern University's Wilson Professor of the Humanities and history professor. He is the author of The Measure of All Things: A Seven-Year Journey and Hidden Mistake that Changed the World, as well as The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780743216753
ISBN 10	074321675X
Title	The Measure of All Things
Author	Ken Alder
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Free Press
Year published	2002-09-24
Number of pages	432
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.