It should go without saying that “harmony” is a central concept in Chinese thought, but what is less understood is the range of views and contestation around “harmony.” By including leading scholars' views of the many faces of harmony, and especially by tracking the concept through time — down to the present day — this volume offers a comprehensive, detailed examination of this most important idea. The result is a volume that is unusually well integrated and stands as an authoritative work on the subject of harmony.

Stephen C. Angle, Professor of Philosophy and East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University

In a time marked by conflict and polarizing dispute (in the West), it is a pleasure to read this book on "Harmony in Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Introduction." The contributors elaborate on different versions of harmony championed by different Chinese schools and traditions, and they do it with great competence and insight. The range of ideas covered in the book is stunning; in my view this is the first academic text offering a comprehensive landscape of philosophical traditions in China. The value of this landscape is all the more compelling given the relative neglect of harmony in Western political thought during recent centuries.

Tatiana Yu. Danilchenko, Packey J. Dee Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame