On behalf of the editorial board of Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, I’m pleased to announce 2009 Dao Annual Best Essay Award Winner: “Self-Transformation and Civil Society: Lockean vs. Confucian” (8.4: 383-402), by KIM Sungmoon, now at City University of Hong Kong. The following is the official citation:

“In this contribution to the on-going dialogue between Confucianism and liberalism, Sungmoon Kim breaks the ground by going beyond the common contrast between the two as one between communitarianism and individualism. Kim argues that, while both aim at a society free from anti-social passions, Confucianism is unique in incorporating ritual propriety, instead of liberal self-control, in its idea of self-cultivation. His examination of the liberal view of the individual and society is balanced and substantial, and his contrast between Confucian self-cultivation and Lockean self-transformation is subtle and revealing. Kim’s work represents the type of comparative philosophy that Dao promotes.”

The award comes with a check of $1,000, which is to be presented at a panel to be organized in honor of the award winner at American Philosophical Association Annual Meeting (Eastern Division) in Boston in December, 2010.

Here is the selection process: in early January, a selection/nomination committee of three editorial board members was established. These three editorial board members read each article published in Dao in 2009. By early March, this committee nominated three best essays, which includes “Musical Naturalism in the Thought of Ji Kang” by David Chai, “How to Make Sense of the Claim ‘True Knowledge is What Constitutes Action’: A New Interpretation of Wang Yangming’s Doctrine of Unity of Knowledge and Action” by YANG Xiaomei, and “Self-Transformation and Civil Society: Lockean vs. Confucian,” by KIM Sungmoon. Then all other editorial board members cast their votes after they read the three nominated articles by the beginning of April. Kim’s article received the highest votes and thus became the award winning essay.

Thanks for your continuous support for our journal.

Best wishes,

Huang Yong, editor
Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy