| Abstract The diary of ideas American students keep as they each passage in the Four Books provides a way to continue the practice of responding to precisely those passages that are relevant to their lives. Examples from dormitory life appear frequently, as do comments on their continuing relationships with their parents. This practice of reading ethical texts to apply learning to their lives is a form of self-cultivation.
The United States does not permit religious instruction in any public school. Most private liberal arts colleges do not either. Standards of civility have, however, become such an issue on campus that secular of behavior are being adapted as students codes. Students studying Confucianism find an appeal in a non-religious ethics, grounded on this-worldly relationships. So little opportunity exists in the United States to reason through a humanistic personal ethics, most students are fascinated to study how the Confucian tradition succeeded in spreading one such tradition in East Asia. |
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