Some Observations on Th. Metzger's Eisenstadt's Analysis of the Relations Between Modernization and Tradition in China

In November 5-7, 1980, a conference chaired by Professor Wolfgang Schlu-chter of the University of Heidelberg and organized by Werner-Reimers-Stiftung was held in Bad Homburg, West Germany, to discuss Max Weber’s study of Chinese civilization. Professor S.N.Eisenstadt presented a paper called” This-worldly Transcendentalism and the Structuring of the World: Weber’s ”The Religion of China and the Format of Chinese Civilization.” Eisenstadt asked: was Weber right to characterize Confucian civilization as this-worldly? was such this-worldliness responsible for limiting the ability of Confucians to transform and modernize their society? . A German version of his article was published in Wolfgang Schluchter, ed., Max Webers Studie uber Konfuzianismus und Taoismus. Basing myself on the English version, I tried to present and critique the viewpoint of this article in “Eisenstadt’s Analysis of the Relation between Modernization and Tradition in China,”Bulletin of Historical Research, Institute of History, National Taiwan Normal University, 12 (June 1984), which was also printed in American Asian Review, II2 (summer 1984). In the next months, Professor Eisenstadt kindly accepted my suggestion that he write a reply to my article.