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  • The article analyzes the need for harmony as a transversal philosophical principle between the Confucian East and the Leibnizian West, taking as its starting point the approach already attempted by Leibniz to Confucian thought and the Yijing (易經). The author argues that, although they share a concern with the pacification of tensions and the integration of differences into a complementary whole, the traditions diverge above all in how they conceive the religious and metaphysical foundation of this harmony. Methodologically, the text proceeds through comparative reading and selective exegesis of passages from the Analects, articulating them with Leibnizian concepts concerning education, perspectival knowledge, and the “pre-established harmony” that guarantees harmonization among monads. As results, the article shows that, in Confucianism, harmony is not merely internal: it requires plurality, sociability, and the cultivation of moral virtues, which makes knowledge a communal exercise. In Leibniz’s case, each point of view would be an expression of a divine order, allowing a rational harmonization without the collapse of plurality. Finally, the author discusses the problem of Western theological translation, suggesting that Leibniz’s approach to Chinese religion requires conceptual mediations (notably via Neo-Confucianism).

Last update from database: 9/11/26, 10:25 AM (UTC)

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