Xu Fuguan: Realizing the Human Spirit

Abstract

Xu Fuguan is less known than his contemporaries and friends Mou Zongsan and Tang Junyi. He never developed a philosophical system on the order of theirs, feeling that the core of Confucianism is found in practice and not developing philosophical theory. Instead he wrote widely on Chinese intellectual history, literature, and aesthetics. Nevertheless, in many of his writings he defends a distinct perspective on Confucian thought and argues for its continued relevance in a modernizing world. This chapter focuses on three major areas of concern in Xu’s writings: his claim that humanistic study generally and Confucianism in particular must be related to practical concerns, his analysis of Confucian theories of human nature, and his claim that democracy can best realize the spirit of Confucian humanism. Sharing the common New Confucian views that human nature is good and that democracy is form of government most suited to Confucian societies, Xu had his own understanding and defense of these claims less reliant on elaborate metaphysical views. Instead he focused on practice and moral cultivation. In this regard, Xu departed from his mentor Xiong Shili as well as Mou and Tang. As he himself believed, this less metaphysical view is arguably closer to the classical thought of Kongzi and Mengzi. Though receiving less attention in Anglophone scholarship, Xu’s thought is more creative than commonly supposed.