Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
2026.02.4 View this Review Online View Other NDPR Reviews
Yong Li, Confucian Comparative Political Philosophy, Routledge, 128pp., $200.00 (hbk) ISBN 9781032671871.
Reviewed by Yutang Jin, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong
In philosophical works, it is difficult to combine bold innovation with intellectual humility. The reason is straightforward—to show creativity, an author is tempted to grandstand about their originality. I consider Yong Li’s Confucian Comparative Political Philosophy one of the rare cases where the author successfully combines each of these two virtues without sacrificing the other. This book is a recent intervention in contemporary Confucian political theory, an increasingly important field that connects the Confucian intellectual tradition and cultural practices to normative questions in political theory. Written with exceptional analytical rigor and high accessibility, this book can serve as an ideal reference...