(trans.) Fang Xudong, "Consequentialism and the Possibility of a Confucian-Mohist Encounter" (original) (raw)
Related papers
Qeios, 2024
The aim of this review is to show the limits of the discourse that identifies the success of the Chinese economic model with the supposed Confucian cultural values of 'harmony, fairness, justice', constructed in the mirror of Western values, in particular through the triptych of the French Revolution of 1789 ‘freedom, equality, fraternity’. The character Yi (義) appears twenty-four times in the 論語 (Analects) of Confucius (551–479 BCE). This testifies to the central place it occupies in the Chinese philosopher's system of thought and the interest Leong and Kiat (2024) attach to it. However, the translation of this character by the term justice is not satisfactory, as it evokes for Confucius an obligation to act much more than the vague and rather theoretical notion of justice (Che, 2019). Obviously, what applies to the notion of justice is valid for those of harmony and fairness. This invites us to rise to the art of reading well through philology, moving from a literal translation from one language to another to a reading between languages which opens the field to a multitude of interpretations.
Moral Dilemmas and Their Hermeneutics in Early Confucianism
Asia Major, 2018
Although aspects of the moral dilemma have been discussed by Western philosophers from Plato onwards, substantially less attention has been devoted to the possibility and consequences of moral quandaries within Chinese philosophy in general and Confucianism in particular. This paper argues, against common contemporary approaches to the problem, that “hard” moral dilemmas were not avoided by classical Chinese philosophers. For this purpose, I explore the episode of the son covering for the crimes of his father in the Analects, which was reformulated and instrumentalized by other philosophers such as Lü Buwei and Han Fei.
Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy (hereafter ECP; New York: Routledge, 2003) is a landmark in the study of Chinese philosophy in Western language. Antonio S. Cua, the editor, should be commended for his extraordinary efforts in assembling 187 full-length articles by seventy-six prominent scholars in the field. These articles are more philosophical than informational, presenting their respective authors’ views on a wide range of topics on Chinese philosophy. On some important topics, the editor even allows multiple articles so that readers can have access to diverse opinions. In this sense, ECP can be better seen as an encyclopedic anthology of the best essays in Chinese philosophy. As it covers all important philosophical schools since antiquity, and most of the articles are written with a comparative approach, the brevity of space, to say nothing about the ability of this reviewer, precludes a comprehensive review. I will focus on a group of articles, focused on Confucian ethics, as an invitation to other scholars to review articles in other areas.
2015
NB: Old - needs updating and several resources to add, but hopefully of use and/ or interest. Work in progress: the article will be completely reshaped and updated as a chapter in a volume scheduled at the beginning of 2022: In Search for the Self. Law and Virtue, Private and Public, Love and Body, Facets of the Self in Late Imperial China The evolution of Confucianism: Between the " rule of law " and the " rule of human being ". Ambiguities and creativity in long-term debates and variations of anthropological dimensions of human beings. 1 Key words: The " rule of law " , the " rule of human being " , new anthropological dimensions of human beings, evolution of Confucianism, Taizhou school. We often raise questions on the flexibility and evolutions of ideologies: Confucianism is an example of a practical ideology has adapted itself to the great social changes from the times of its founder to the present day society. The five cardinal relations, wugang 五綱, as well as the contents of many instructions, reflected a certain kind of society in a certain period, and necessarily were adapted to the transformations during the centuries. In order to last longer the doctrine could not but be transformed according to the changes of society, hierarchy, mobility, etc. My reflections will start from the examination of the different meanings concerning the fazhi-renzhi 法治/人治 debates, and them I will shortly analyse some cases of construction of new anthropological dimensions in late imperial period. The old order that Confucius intended to restore collapsed with the end of the Zhou dynasty. The contribution of Legalism to social-political efficiency was the creation of a written penal law that could be objectively applied to the whole population, and the establishment of a unique system in the country. Confucian alternative of government by moral suasion opposed Legalism and finally survived to it because considered human beings endowed with moral sense. The so called Imperial Confucianism was a compromise between the Legalist foundation of the Empire and the ideal rules by Rites (lizhi 禮治). The strength of law alone was not enough to get consensus, to control people and insure order and cooperation, because men respond also to their sense of justice and their ideals, and cannot be ruled only by the fear of punishment and the hope of prize. Thus Confucianism has contributed to human morality and social harmony by stressing the moral need of human beings and the optimistic trust into in their education. The priority of the principle of conscience on the principle of authority had been expressed by Confucius: The Master said, "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." 子曰：「道之以政，齊之以刑，民免 而無恥；道之以德，齊之以禮，有恥且格。」 This article has been produced in the ambit of my research project on the representation of emotions and states of mind in late imperial China. It is a preliminary survey on a few aspects of a more complex question on the concept of self.
Confucian Morality in Past and Present
The traditions of Chinese living ethics are concerned with questions about how one should live his life; what makes a life worthwhile; how to complete ones duties towards family versus duties towards strangers; whether human nature is predisposed to be morally good or bad; the extent to which one must become involved in reforming the larger social and political structures of one's society; and how one should conduct oneself when in a position of influence or power. The core concepts of Confucius ethics in historical context has been discussed in detail in this paper. A comparative study of ancient concepts and their evolution in Chinese society has been done in later part. In the end the significance of these Confucian ethics on modern Chinese society has been discussed.
A Genealogy of Early Confucian Moral Psychology
The paper tentatively develops a genealogical interpretation of Early Confucian moral psychology by informing close readings of Early Confucian texts, in particular Mencius and Analects, with research in the mind sciences. This includes examinations of the discussions of emotions and their morality in Analects and Mencius. The paper first analyzes the relationship between Confucian filial piety, genetic kinship and moral emotions. Then the paper analyzes the relationship between Early Confucian ethical principles for interaction with non-kin, empathy, and reciprocal altruism. The paper frames those two issues around a description of the variance between the (high) usage and importance of emotions in the moral philosophy of Early Confucianism and the (low) usage and importance of emotions in the moral philosophy of competing Western moral theories.
Understanding Confucian Ethics: Reflections on Moral Development
The standard criticisms of Confucian ethics (from a western philosophical perspective) appear contradictory. On the one hand, Confucian ethics is deemed overly rule-bound: it is obsolete because it advocates adherence to ancient Chinese norms of proper conduct. On the other hand, Confucian ethics is perceived as situational ethics—done on the run—and not properly grounded in fundamental principles or norms. I give reasons for these disparate views of Confucian ethics. I also sketch an account of Confucian morality that focuses on moral development.