Paradoxes and Possibilities of ‘Confucian Freedom’: From Yan Fu (1853-1921) to Mou Zongsan (1909-1995)

Abstract

This essay investigates the reception in China of two major representatives of Classical liberalism, John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant. It is shown that the creative appropriation of these two thinkers by Yan Fu 嚴復 (1853–1921) and Mou Zongsan 牟宗三 (1909–1995) needs to be understood as a response to the challenges of global modernity. Finally, I argue that such a cross-cultural dynamic also has major philosophical implications.