Interpreting Confucius : the aesthetic turn and its challenges

NI Peimin’s book Confucius: The Man and the Way of Gongfu (Ni 2016) is remarkable not only because it is lucidly written and rich in information but also, more importantly, because it launches a major shift in interpreting Confucius. In his reading, Confucius’ teachings are more about how to lead lives artistically than about moral conduct. We may call Ni’s shift the “aesthetic turn” in interpreting Confucius. This work deserves serious attention and careful treatments by pertinent scholarly communities. MOE (Min. of Education, S’pore) Accepted version