An ambitious book, dealing with human nature, according to classical Confucian philosophers, analogies between rights and rites, and Confucian influences in 20th-century China. -- Stefan B. Polter Asian Affairs This rich volume, a feast for the mind, a joy to the soul, is so wise in seeing that the human rights discourse is not the singular fruit of a peculiar liberal individualistic Western tradition, not the unique genetic child of Jews or Christians or Greeks. -- Edward Friedman Asian Thought and Society It reduces the lack of clarity that has characterized discussions of this subject to date. -- Lynn Struve China Quarterly The essays explore such vital subjects as the normative foundation of human rights claims, the relationship of the individual to the nation-state, rites as rights, due process, harmony versus freedom of thought, constitutionalism, and the rule of law... each one does stand on its own as a solid piece of scholarship. Choice This engaging book is propaedeutic to a study of how Confucianism might contribute to decisions respecting rights. -- Dale Maurice Riepe International Studies in Philosophy