Psyching a Paragon: A Sinitic Excursion in Practical Ethics – Lynn Struve
Abstract: This essay discusses ethical issues in biographical historiography through the case of Huang Chunyao (1605–1645). Addressed in particular are the aversion of disciplinary history to psychological interpretation, and the questioning of selfhood and empathy in postmodern humanistic discourse. Suggestions for dealing responsibly with such issues are drawn from post‐Freudian psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and ethical philosophy.
Keywords: Huang Chunyao, biography, ethics, psychohistory, selfhood, self psychology, historical empathy, Ricoeur