It is widely claimed that notions of gods and religious beliefs are irrelevant or inconsequential to early Chinese ("Confucian") moral and political thought. Rejecting the claim that religious practice plays a minimal philosophical role, Kelly James Clark and Justin Winslett offer a textual study that maps the religious terrain of early Chinese texts. They analyze the pantheon of extrahumans, from high gods to ancestor spirits, discussing their various representations, as well as examining conceptions of the afterlife and religious ritual. Demonstrating that religious beliefs in early China are both textually endorsed and ritually embodied, this book goes on to show how gods, ancestors and afterlife are philosophically salient. The summative chapter on the role of religious ritual in moral formation shows how religion forms a complex philosophical system capable of informing moral, social, and political conditions.

List of TablesIntroduction Part I. High Gods and their Critics1. Heaven and the High God(s) in Early China2. Heaven in the Xunzi, Mozi and Zhuangzi3. The Depersonalization of Heaven? Part II. Gods and "the Philosophers" 4. Was Confucius a Theist?5. Mencius on Heaven Part III. Ancestors and Afterlife6. The Soul and the Afterlife7. Sacrifice Part IV. A Deeper Dive8. The Evolutionary Psychology of Chinese Religion9. Lesser Deities of the Pre-Imperial Era Appendix: The Curious Case of Dong Shongshu NotesBibliographyIndex