Abstract
In this chapter we look at selfhood in contemporary Confucianism and feminism.
We will argue that contemporary Confucians and feminists (and, with
some caveats, Confucius and Mencius) have three important points in common
when considering the self. In our argument, we will reflect on the debate
about Chengyang Li's suggestion that there are important similarities between
仁 (ren ), a term that means roughly "humanity;' "human kindness,'' or "humanity
at its best;' and the care ethics advocated by feminists Carol Gilligan, Nel
Noddings, and others. Our goal here is not to settle the debates between and
among differing Confucians and feminists. Instead, we want to argue that the
differences among the views of particular contemporary Confucians and feminists
in understanding selfhood and relationality may in fact be smaller than
the differences between the two looked at categorically.