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Secondary sourceBook1915

The Ethics of Confucius

Miles Menander Dawson · 1915

Miles Menander Dawson's 1915 arrangement of Confucius's sayings on the conduct of the 'superior man', with commentary.

A compilation of Confucius's ethical sayings, showing how his teachings were presented to modern readers.

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The Ethics of ConfuciusPDF · 370 pages
Miles Menander Dawson, The Ethics of Confucius, 1915.

About this source

What it is

This 1915 book arranges the sayings of Confucius and his disciples on the conduct of the 'superior man', compiled by Miles Menander Dawson and introduced by Wu Ting Fang, a former Chinese minister to the United States. It includes a drawing of Confucius based on a traditional portrait.

Why it matters

The book shows how Confucian ethics were presented to English-speaking readers in the early 20th century, with input from both a Western researcher and a Chinese diplomat. It highlights how Confucius's ideas about moral conduct were organized and explained for new audiences.

Look closer

  • Why might the editor arrange sayings by theme rather than keep them in their original order?
  • What does it suggest that a former Chinese diplomat wrote the foreword?
  • How might the portrait included in the book shape readers' image of Confucius?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Confucius on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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