To Broaden the Way: A Confucian-Jewish Dialogue

(Paperback)

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To Broaden the Way suggests that the texts of both the Jewish and Confucian tradition talk in riddles of a special kind: riddles, which are introduced - and answered - by religious forms of life. Using a "dialogue of riddles," Galia Patt-Shamir presents a comparative perspective of Confucianism and Judaism regarding the relatedness between contradictory expressions in texts and living conflicts. The Confucian riddle is characterized here as a mystery to be deciphered by self-reflection, under the assumptions of a harmonious community, and a unity of being. The Jewish riddle is characterized as a test to be responded to, under the assumption of a disharmonious community, and a necessary rapture in reality. This book expands the dialogue between traditions, and offers both a method and an implication of the question, "what is religion about"

Reviews

The challenging ideas put forth in this rich volume necessarily lead to new considerations regarding one's own and others' traditions. Useful Chinese and Hebrew gloassaries as well as an extensive bibliography supplement the book. -- Irene Eber * The Journal Of Religion *
There are many important sections that can captivate and inform the reader. * Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy *
A unique book by a unique author....It is stimulating. * Journal of Chinese Religions *
To Broaden the Way is at once an introduction to Confucianism, a personal statement by a Jewish scholar who, while not 'observant' in any formal sense, still feels reverence for the traditions of halakhic Judaism, and a fascinating comparison of the two. Readers whose ideas of morality have been wholly derived from the Western tradition that stretches from Plato to John Rawls will find their minds stretched by reading this short book. They may even be helped in defining their own 'way.' -- Hilary Putnam, professor emeritus, Harvard University

Author Bio

Galia Patt-Shamir is Senior Lecturer in the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel-Aviv University.