Richard Kim | Loyola University Chicago (original) (raw)
Papers by Richard Kim
The aim of this essay is to introduce scholars to recent discussions of early Confucian ethics th... more The aim of this essay is to introduce scholars to recent discussions of early Confucian ethics that intersect with contemporary moral psychology. Given the early Confucian tradition’s intense focus on the cultivation of virtue, there are a number of ways in which early Confucian thinkers – as represented in the texts of the Analects, the Mencius, and the Xunzi – fruitfully engaged in a range of topics that are closely connected to live issues in moral psychology. Not only did they anticipate some contemporary debates (e.g. moral modularity, situationism) but explored them from a distinctively Confucian normative worldview, attending especially to the role of the family and ritual practice. This essay seeks to demonstrate
that early Confucianism, by integrating a normative vision with empirically grounded observations of human behaviour, offers resources for constructively exploring a number of ongoing questions in moral psychology.
In this paper I respond to a common criticism of Aristotelian naturalism known as the Pollyanna P... more In this paper I respond to a common criticism of Aristotelian naturalism known as the Pollyanna Problem, the objection that when combined with recent empirical research, Aristotelian naturalism generates morally unacceptable conclusions. In developing a reply to this objection, I draw upon the conception of human nature developed by the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, and build up an account of ethical naturalism that provides a satisfying response to the Pollyanna Problem while also preserving what is most attractive about Aristotelian naturalism.
Forthcoming in History of Philosophy Quarterly (October, 2015)
Appeals to human nature in normative enquiry have fallen out of favor among contemporary philosop... more Appeals to human nature in normative enquiry have fallen out of favor among contemporary philosophers. In this paper I examine reasons for believing that the notion of human nature has an indispensable role to play in ethics by looking at Alasdair MacIntyre’s views on human nature in light of two diverging conceptions of human nature found in the works of two ancient Chinese philosophers, Mencius and Xunzi. Examining their conflicting accounts, I contend, helps illuminate the development of MacIntyre’s position on human nature, and offers reasons for taking the notion of human nature seriously in moral enquiry.
In this essay, I present the accounts of well-being found in the texts of Mencius and Xunzi with ... more In this essay, I present the accounts of well-being found in the texts of Mencius and Xunzi with a particular focus on the following two claims: (1) Virtue is a fundamental component of well-being, and (2) A flourishing life exemplifies a teleological structure ordered toward sagehood. I also describe their views concerning the characteristics of the mental states of those who are virtuous, qualities that I argue bear a striking resemblance to Daniel Haybron's emotional state account of psychological happiness.
Philosophical investigation of human nature has a long, distinguished, and multifaceted history. ... more Philosophical investigation of human nature has a long, distinguished, and multifaceted history. In the West, from the ancient Greek era to the present times, competing conceptions of human nature were invoked in a variety of ways to support a range of ethical positions. In the East, some of the most heated philosophical disputes concerning moral self-cultivation centered on disagreements about human nature. Within the Neo-Confucian tradition that developed out of Korea, issues concerning human nature took center stage in a dispute now known as the “Horak Debate” that began in the 18th Century. This debate, which lasted over a hundred years, provided fascinating discussions of a number of philosophical topics that continue to be explored by contemporary philosophers. Unfortunately, little has been written on this fascinating, historically significant debate within the English-speaking world. In this paper I seek to provide a clear and accessible introduction to the Horak Debate for contemporary philosophers by: (a) historically situating the debate within the tradition of Korean Neo-Confucianism (b) providing a philosophical outline of the Horak Debate and identifying its central points of contention, and (c) demonstrating the debate’s philosophical significance by revealing how some of its key issues are rooted in disagreements that continue to concern contemporary philosophers.
Forthcoming in European Journal for Philosophy of Religion (2015)
What, from the Confucian point of view, is the proper attitude that human beings should maintain ... more What, from the Confucian point of view, is the proper attitude that human beings should maintain toward other animals? According to some Confucians, the sacrificial use of non-human animals in the Confucian tradition is not only justified, but a necessary requirement for those who seek to uphold the tradition’s values. In this paper, I argue that such sacrifices are not necessary for the Confucian tradition by suggesting a way for Confucians to discard non-human animal sacrifice while keeping the Confucian tradition intact. In order to show how this might work, I draw upon resources found within other religious traditions as well as Confucianism, and their emphasis on carrying out even the most mundane, ordinary actions as expressions of reverence. I argue that this practice of manifesting deep reverence toward God (or deities and ancestors in the case of Confucianism) through simple actions which I call 'everyday reverence' reveals a way for Confucians to maintain the deep reverence that is essential for Confucianism, while abandoning the use of non-human animal sacrifice.
Within the past thirty years, there has been a steady growth of philosophical literature on well-... more Within the past thirty years, there has been a steady growth of philosophical literature on well-being or welfare, variously described as what is good for, in the interest of, or of benefit to, a person. A cluster of issues has been the subject of heated debate, for example, what well-being ultimately consists in or the relationship between well-being and time. But what is perhaps the most fundamental issue regarding well-being, the question of just what the concept of well-being is, still remains unsettled. When we invoke the concept of well-being, what exactly is it that we are talking about? A failure to properly identify the concept of well-being can have dire consequences: it may turn out that many of the disputes about well-being are merely terminological—every philosopher’s nightmare. I want to focus on some of the methods that have recently been offered to help elucidate the concept of well-being. I will argue that none of these methods work because they do not elicit from us judgments about a single concept, but rather, two distinct concepts that can both plausibly be termed 'well-being'. As I will demonstrate, both concepts have been at work in the current philosophical literature and have generated much unnecessary confusion. My main task will be to provide an analysis of these two concepts by identifying their formal features, and determine which of the two is more fundamental to ethical theorizing.
Filial piety, a foundational virtue within the Confucian ethical tradition, has been relatively n... more Filial piety, a foundational virtue within the Confucian ethical tradition, has been relatively neglected by Western moral philosophers. In this paper we aim to remedy this lacuna by arguing that filial piety, when understood properly, remains a virtue that is significant, especially in its application to the ethics of business management. The goal of the paper is twofold: (1) to provide support for a Confucian conception of filial piety as a moral virtue, and (2) to demonstrate the way in which this conception of filial piety provides important insights for the ethics of business management.
The aim of this essay is to introduce scholars to recent discussions of early Confucian ethics th... more The aim of this essay is to introduce scholars to recent discussions of early Confucian ethics that intersect with contemporary moral psychology. Given the early Confucian tradition’s intense focus on the cultivation of virtue, there are a number of ways in which early Confucian thinkers – as represented in the texts of the Analects, the Mencius, and the Xunzi – fruitfully engaged in a range of topics that are closely connected to live issues in moral psychology. Not only did they anticipate some contemporary debates (e.g. moral modularity, situationism) but explored them from a distinctively Confucian normative worldview, attending especially to the role of the family and ritual practice. This essay seeks to demonstrate
that early Confucianism, by integrating a normative vision with empirically grounded observations of human behaviour, offers resources for constructively exploring a number of ongoing questions in moral psychology.
In this paper I respond to a common criticism of Aristotelian naturalism known as the Pollyanna P... more In this paper I respond to a common criticism of Aristotelian naturalism known as the Pollyanna Problem, the objection that when combined with recent empirical research, Aristotelian naturalism generates morally unacceptable conclusions. In developing a reply to this objection, I draw upon the conception of human nature developed by the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, and build up an account of ethical naturalism that provides a satisfying response to the Pollyanna Problem while also preserving what is most attractive about Aristotelian naturalism.
Forthcoming in History of Philosophy Quarterly (October, 2015)
Appeals to human nature in normative enquiry have fallen out of favor among contemporary philosop... more Appeals to human nature in normative enquiry have fallen out of favor among contemporary philosophers. In this paper I examine reasons for believing that the notion of human nature has an indispensable role to play in ethics by looking at Alasdair MacIntyre’s views on human nature in light of two diverging conceptions of human nature found in the works of two ancient Chinese philosophers, Mencius and Xunzi. Examining their conflicting accounts, I contend, helps illuminate the development of MacIntyre’s position on human nature, and offers reasons for taking the notion of human nature seriously in moral enquiry.
In this essay, I present the accounts of well-being found in the texts of Mencius and Xunzi with ... more In this essay, I present the accounts of well-being found in the texts of Mencius and Xunzi with a particular focus on the following two claims: (1) Virtue is a fundamental component of well-being, and (2) A flourishing life exemplifies a teleological structure ordered toward sagehood. I also describe their views concerning the characteristics of the mental states of those who are virtuous, qualities that I argue bear a striking resemblance to Daniel Haybron's emotional state account of psychological happiness.
Philosophical investigation of human nature has a long, distinguished, and multifaceted history. ... more Philosophical investigation of human nature has a long, distinguished, and multifaceted history. In the West, from the ancient Greek era to the present times, competing conceptions of human nature were invoked in a variety of ways to support a range of ethical positions. In the East, some of the most heated philosophical disputes concerning moral self-cultivation centered on disagreements about human nature. Within the Neo-Confucian tradition that developed out of Korea, issues concerning human nature took center stage in a dispute now known as the “Horak Debate” that began in the 18th Century. This debate, which lasted over a hundred years, provided fascinating discussions of a number of philosophical topics that continue to be explored by contemporary philosophers. Unfortunately, little has been written on this fascinating, historically significant debate within the English-speaking world. In this paper I seek to provide a clear and accessible introduction to the Horak Debate for contemporary philosophers by: (a) historically situating the debate within the tradition of Korean Neo-Confucianism (b) providing a philosophical outline of the Horak Debate and identifying its central points of contention, and (c) demonstrating the debate’s philosophical significance by revealing how some of its key issues are rooted in disagreements that continue to concern contemporary philosophers.
Forthcoming in European Journal for Philosophy of Religion (2015)
What, from the Confucian point of view, is the proper attitude that human beings should maintain ... more What, from the Confucian point of view, is the proper attitude that human beings should maintain toward other animals? According to some Confucians, the sacrificial use of non-human animals in the Confucian tradition is not only justified, but a necessary requirement for those who seek to uphold the tradition’s values. In this paper, I argue that such sacrifices are not necessary for the Confucian tradition by suggesting a way for Confucians to discard non-human animal sacrifice while keeping the Confucian tradition intact. In order to show how this might work, I draw upon resources found within other religious traditions as well as Confucianism, and their emphasis on carrying out even the most mundane, ordinary actions as expressions of reverence. I argue that this practice of manifesting deep reverence toward God (or deities and ancestors in the case of Confucianism) through simple actions which I call 'everyday reverence' reveals a way for Confucians to maintain the deep reverence that is essential for Confucianism, while abandoning the use of non-human animal sacrifice.
Within the past thirty years, there has been a steady growth of philosophical literature on well-... more Within the past thirty years, there has been a steady growth of philosophical literature on well-being or welfare, variously described as what is good for, in the interest of, or of benefit to, a person. A cluster of issues has been the subject of heated debate, for example, what well-being ultimately consists in or the relationship between well-being and time. But what is perhaps the most fundamental issue regarding well-being, the question of just what the concept of well-being is, still remains unsettled. When we invoke the concept of well-being, what exactly is it that we are talking about? A failure to properly identify the concept of well-being can have dire consequences: it may turn out that many of the disputes about well-being are merely terminological—every philosopher’s nightmare. I want to focus on some of the methods that have recently been offered to help elucidate the concept of well-being. I will argue that none of these methods work because they do not elicit from us judgments about a single concept, but rather, two distinct concepts that can both plausibly be termed 'well-being'. As I will demonstrate, both concepts have been at work in the current philosophical literature and have generated much unnecessary confusion. My main task will be to provide an analysis of these two concepts by identifying their formal features, and determine which of the two is more fundamental to ethical theorizing.
Filial piety, a foundational virtue within the Confucian ethical tradition, has been relatively n... more Filial piety, a foundational virtue within the Confucian ethical tradition, has been relatively neglected by Western moral philosophers. In this paper we aim to remedy this lacuna by arguing that filial piety, when understood properly, remains a virtue that is significant, especially in its application to the ethics of business management. The goal of the paper is twofold: (1) to provide support for a Confucian conception of filial piety as a moral virtue, and (2) to demonstrate the way in which this conception of filial piety provides important insights for the ethics of business management.