Description: A study of utopian thought in Western and Chinese traditions, bringing out the differences and similarities in their visions of a better, more just world.
Paradise has been widely perceived as somewhere on ocean islands or in distant mountains where people come together to set up tightly-knit societies so they can live, work and worship in harmony and peace. For the first-time ever, in this widely-researched work that bridges the utopian ideas and visions of East and West, Ambrose Mong explores the writings of influential thinkers from ancient China to Renaissance Europe and today, including Thomas More, Teilhard de Chardin, Confucius and Mo Tzu, and even twentieth century political reformist Kang Youwei.Review Quotes: Ambrose Mong's latest book compares and contrasts eastern and western philosophical conceptions of a better world. ... Himself a Catholic priest who grew up between east and west in Singapore, Ambrose draws inspiration from the writings of Teilhard de Chardin (a Jesuit forbidden by his superiors from teaching religion) on a united humanity. A Better World Is Possible asks more questions than it answers, but they are questions which define our times.--George Yeo, Singapore Foreign Minister (2004-2011)