Confucius, Rawls, and the Sense of Justice

Cline has contributed a path-breaking inquiry into the nature, origin, and importance of a sense of justice by providing a deep and revealing comparative analysis of the concept and its role in the philosophies of Kongzi ("Confucius") and John Rawls. Her work begins with a careful and insightful discussion, itself well worth reading, of the nature, methods, and aims of comparative philosophy. She then describes and analyzes Rawls and Kongzi's distinct views concerning a sense of justice, compares the two in light of each other, and explores the contemporary relevance a sense of justice has for political, ethical, and educational theory in both liberal societies and today's China. Cline presents a compelling case for the central importance of a sense of justice in Rawls' theory and shows how a deep and nuanced understanding of Kongzi's teachings about this uniquely human stance toward the world and how one can go about cultivating it are of direct and critical importance for anyone committed to understanding, advocating, and defending justice in the contemporary world. She also shows how a proper understanding of Rawls' theory can augment and benefit contemporary Confucians seeking to develop and support political theories inspired by their home tradition. Along the way, she sorts out and rectifies a host of mistaken claims commonly made about the views of Rawls and Kongzi, what they share, where they differ, and how they can mutually enhance one another. The result is a masterful analysis of the sense of a sense of justice.Philip J. IvanhoeChair Professor of East Asian and Comparative Philosophy and ReligionDirector, Center for East Asian and Comparative Philosophy (CEACOP)City University of Hong Kong