Confucianism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Very good introduction, it might lack specific detail. The artistsans' did a wonderful job with the cover. Nearly an exact replaca of one of the original editions. ...final note ..the printing was near perfect !

As a philosophy major, I've a growing interest in comparative philosophy, especially in the contemporary world. This book serves as a basic guide to Confucianism over the last two thousand years, and ends in the late 2000s. While I by no means recommend this book to anyone who wants to get an in depth description of Confucian arguments, it does imply such right in the title. Either way, it will only take a few hours to read and you will be able to jump into primary Confucian texts afterword.

Good book. This introduction is not so short as the title states. It treats the main subjects of Confucius philosophy. It's clear and readable.

Condensed but impressive introduction to Confucianism. Clear and very readable. My insight of the Chinese culture and his people changed profoundly during lecture.

Great intro to Confucianism! It was very informative and covered all the basics and history of the belief system.

Well written and a good read

For such a short book to cover Confucianism with such great depth and breath is an excellent achievement. Highly recommended!

This book is really well written and helped me gain insight into Confucianism not only in the abstract, but also the effects of Confucianism on modern day China. I particularly liked the reference to different products of Confucianism such as Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism during the Song dynasty as well as when Gardner touches upon both Mencius and Xunzi.

Interesting topic, generally well-explained. The format of the book was clear. The book does what it says; give you a basic comprehension of the topic. Worth a read.

Gift

I'm a student, but my eye muscles have to work hard to read this book. It's really unpleasant. Unless you don't care about having a headache, do not buy the physical copy of this book. Instead, get the Kindle version, because the content of this book is good.

This is a compact introduction to Confucianism, and how it has been interpreted in China from its beginning through to the present. I found it informative and wide ranging. I do not have the expertise to be able to comment on the book's scholarship, but it came across well to this ordinary reader. It is not one of those books that is so interesting that you can't put it down (which is why I gave it 4 stars, not 5), but it is certainly not dull or boring.