Sounding the Analects, Engaging Confucius

Confucius Now: Contemporary Encounters with the Analects, edited by David Jones, is a stirring, thought-provoking anthology that invites reflection and soul searching. Other collections on Confucius and the Analects have appeared in recent years, but they have tended to focus narrowly on issues such as what we know about the Mas ter, what in the Analects constitutes his original teachings, and the like. By raising imponderable questions about the Master's identity and his fluctuating persona over time, and pursuing hypothetical philological arguments, they have detracted from what is of interest in Confucius' teachings as presented in the Analects while offering little in return.