Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism in Early Chinese Philosophy

By Bryan W. Van Norden

Book Overview

In this book, Bryan W. Van Norden examines early Confucianism as a form of virtue ethics and Mohism, an anti-Confucian movement, as a version of consequentialism. The philosophical methodology is analytic, in that the emphasis is on clear exegesis of the texts and a critical examination of the philosophical arguments proposed by each side. Van Norden shows that Confucianism, while similar to Aristotelianism in being a form of virtue ethics, offers different conceptions of "the good life," the virtues, human nature, and ethical cultivation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 110740732X
• ISBN13: 9781107407329
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 430 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"