Antonio S. Cua (July 23, 1932 – March 27, 2007) was an eminent scholar in

Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Warring States period (), during a period known as the " Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural develop ...

and

comparative philosophy Intercultural philosophy is an approach to philosophy that emphasizes the integration of influences from different cultures. It can represent the meeting of different philosophical traditions, such as Western philosophy, Asian philosophy, and Afr ...

who was professor emeritus of philosophy at

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

. Cua was primarily interested in Western moral philosophy, moral psychology and Chinese ethics, in particular

Confucian ethics Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

. He was the author of many important scholarly works, and the chief editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'', the first English-language encyclopedia on 'Chinese philosophy'.

Early years

Cua was born into a

Filipino Chinese Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mostly of southern Fujianese ancestry, where the majority are born ...

family doing commercial business in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He graduated from Far Eastern University in Manila in 1952 and came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

for

graduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

in philosophy. He received a master's degree in 1954 and a PhD in 1958, both from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

Career

From 1958 to 1962, Cua taught at

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subseq ...

in Athens, Ohio. He then served as professor of philosophy and chairman of the department at the State University of New York at Oswego from 1962 to 1969. At The Catholic University of America, he taught philosophy in the School of Philosophy from 1969 to 1995. He retired in 1996 and was

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

until his death. He died in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

in 2007. He was president of several organizations, including the International Society for Chinese Philosophy, the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy and the

Association for Asian Studies The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is a scholarly, non-political and non-profit professional association focusing on Asia and the study of Asia. It is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The Association provides members with an Annu ...

. He held leadership roles in several other associations.

Works

Cua was the author of numerous scholarly works and the chief editor of the ''

Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

''. The volume, the first of its kind, contains entries on major schools, thinkers, works and concepts in

and is considered the most comprehensive scholarly reference book with exact information and original interpretation of Chinese philosophy and its history. His books include "Reason and Virtue: A Study in the Ethics of Richard Price" (1966, revised 1998), in which he studied Price, an 18th-century moral and political philosopher; "Dimensions of Moral Creativity" (1978), which focused on the role of paradigmatic individuals as the concrete embodiment of moral principles and ideals; and "Ethical Argumentation" (1985), his first attempt to develop a Confucian theory of

ethical argumentation Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

and

moral epistemology In metaphilosophy and ethics, meta-ethics is the study of the nature, scope, and meaning of moral judgment. It is one of the three branches of ethics generally studied by philosophers, the others being normative ethics (questions of how one ou ...

. In his "Moral Vision and Tradition: Essays in Chinese Ethics" (1998), Cua offered a comprehensive philosophical study of Confucian ethics, its basic insights and its relevance to contemporary Western

moral philosophy Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

. His last work was "Human Nature, Ritual and History: Studies in Xunzi and Chinese Philosophy" (2005), which reflected his authority in studies on Xunzi, one of the greatest

Confucian philosopher Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

s in ancient China. "Cua's total body of work on Xunzi is the deepest and richest work in English on this thinker.... Cua is one of the great senior figures in the field, and this book will be a useful reference in courses in Chinese and comparative studies," David Wong, a philosophy professor and department chair at Duke University, said in 2005.The Catholic University of America - CUA Press:
Human Nature, Ritual, and History (Studies in Xunzi and Chinese Philosophy).

Bibliography

*''Human Nature, Ritual, And History: Studies In Xunzi And Chinese Philosophy'' (Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy), Antonio S. Cua (Author), Catholic University of America Press (April 2005) *''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'', Antonio S. Cua (Editor), Routledge, 2003. *''Moral Vision and Tradition: Essays in Chinese Ethics'' (Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy), Antonio S. Cua (Author), Catholic University of America Press (April 1998) *''Ethical Argumentation: A Study in Hsun Tzu's Moral Epistemology'', Antonio S. Cua (Author), Univ of Hawaii Pr (May 1985). *''Unity of Knowledge and Action: A Study in Wang Yang-Ming's Moral Psychology'', Antonio S. Cua (Author), Univ of Hawaii Pr (May 1982) *''Dimensions of Moral Creativity: Paradigms, Principles, and Ideals'', Antonio S. Cua (Author), Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (June 1979) *''Reason and Virtue: A Study in the Ethics of Richard Price.'', Antonio S. Cua (Author), Ohio University Press, (1966)

References

External links

Publications of Antonio S. Cua
CUA School of Philosophy. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cua, Antonio 1932 births 2007 deaths Deaths from cancer in Maryland American Confucianists American philosophy academics American writers of Chinese descent Filipino emigrants to the United States University of California, Berkeley alumni Ohio University faculty State University of New York faculty Catholic University of America School of Philosophy faculty Filipino Confucianists Filipino philosophers Moral psychologists 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers Far Eastern University alumni American people of Chinese descent