This book conducts a cross-cultural, philosophical inquiry into the concept of family, exploring both Chinese and Western traditions, ancient and modern.

Rooted in the Chinese tradition and centered on the dual-core of the individual and kinship affection, this book calls for rigorous conceptual reconstruction and sustained contemporary reflection on the family. Drawing on Chinese and Western philosophical traditions, the study reaffirms the ontological status of the family in Chinese culture, considering it a fundamental means of understanding the world. The author presents a dual-core framework that highlights the interdependent relationship between the individual and kinship affection, distinguishes between individuals based on rights and individuals based on moral autonomy, and traces the historical evolution of individualism and clan centrism during China's New Culture Movement. By introducing core notions such as generative creativity, kinship affection, and being-between-generations, this book engages in dialogue with existential analyses by thinkers such as Heidegger and Levinas. It thereby provides an intellectually productive theoretical framework for reinterpreting the family within contemporary philosophical discourse.

This book will appeal to researchers and students of Chinese and Western philosophy, as well as modern Chinese intellectual history. It is particularly relevant to scholars interested in themes such as the family, the ethics of care, and feminism.

SUN Xiangchen is a Professor at the School of Philosophy, Fudan University. He served as Dean of the School from 2011 to 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fudan University in 2000. His research areas cover modern Western philosophy, political thought, Judeo Christian studies, and comparative philosophy.