Reinterpreting and Remapping Philosophy, Evolutionism and Religion in Late Qing Missionary’s Translation of The Making of a Man
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
++/(-) This is a sophisticated academic article which excels in terms of the presentation of Y.J. Allen's philosophical (and anthropo-theological) world view. However, the article could have made greater use of the existing secondary literature on Allen, as well as on the Western (Protestant) missions during the same period. This is the only qualifying remark I have to make with regards to this otherwise excellent article.
++/(-) In a similar vein, the academic English is of an adequately high standard. However, the article needs to be fine-combed in order to clean up stylistic and grammatical errors. For example, line 130 "in compare with", l. 216 "objected [to]", etc. The Abstract would also benefit from such remedial work.
One surprising statement is left completely isolated, namely in lines 480-482, when the missionaries' dissatisfaction with Spencerian evolutionary thought (the very basis of the racialist nationalism of the early 20th century) is revealed. This paragraph should be expanded, with secondary references (e.g. Dikotter's "Discourse of Race").
MINOR CHANGES
(See above)
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
1. The author should outline the problem statement and research significance clearly in the introduction section.
2. A detailed literature review is needed to be drawn by the author. This could help us to understand previous studies in this related field and how this study engages with current scholarship.
3. The author should also explain the research findings of this study and what something new is presented to the academia, which enhances the understanding of the philosophy and religion in the late Qing.
4. The discussions in the main text are appropriate and acceptable. It would be better if the author could elaborate on the impact of translated work "renxue" on the society of China at the time. In addition, how did the thought influence the native intellectuals? How does it connect to the New Culture Movement in China?
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The author has responded to my questions and comments. The author's amendments to the article are appropriate.
