A longtime expert on environmental politics, Kassiola began making regular trips to China to lecture at universities and think tanks. "I told the current and future leaders of China they must find a new way, and not follow the American hyperconsumer lifestyle with its ubiquitous advertising, debt, bankruptcies and environmental degradation," said Kassiola, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and professor of political science. "But I realize that without proposing an alternative to consumerism, the status quo will always have the advantage."
In a new book, Kassiola suggests that Confucianism, a cultural tradition based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, could provide China and western nations with valuable lessons about what a more sustainable society could look like.
"With its focus on morality over materialism and an emphasis on family and relationships, Confucianism can inform how we construct an alternative model to western consumerism," Kassiola said. "A focus on Confucian values could provide a pathway to a more sustainable and just China."
