Philosophical discussions of the moralization of anger have not, to date, substantively engaged classical Chinese thought. This is unfortunate, given the abundance of appeals to moral anger in the classical literature, especially among the Confucians, and the suppression, expression, and functionalization of anger. Accordingly, this essay engages in two general projects: one interpretive, one applied. The interpretive project examines the manner in which classical Confucian thought regards anger as having both destructive and constructive aspects, how these aspects are unavoidable human (...) experiences, and how they can (and should) be regulated or recruited by ritualized social forms. Specifically, while the early Confucians at times depict anger as a precarious feeling to be assuaged, there are circumstances in which anger is not only understandable, but morally warranted. In this tradition, adherence to ritual prescriptions is a primary means by which problematic anger is alleviated while moral anger is effectively expressed, achieving prosocial ends without producing undue harm. This understanding and analysis of anger from a Confucian perspective gives rise to an applied project that considers how even contemporary, non-Confucians can ritualize and deploy anger for positive moral and political ends. In particular, I examine how forms of reconciliation, etiquette, and protest can be construed as rituals through which moral anger is effectively channeled. (shrink)

Under the influence of the linguistic turn in philosophy, contemporary Western philosophers typically limit their thinking on pluralism to the realm of language. This sort of pluralism can be named as pluralism of significance. I propose another version of pluralism in light of Confucianism, which extends the concerns from the realm of language to the realm of experience – I call it pluralism of presence. In this article, I first expound the aforementioned two versions of pluralism on the basis (...) of Hans-Georg Moeller’s semiotic trichotomy. I then argue that the conflict between multiculturalism and cultural identity in today’s globalized world and the failure of pluralism of significance in resolving this conflict can be overcome by pluralism of presence. Finally, I show a possibility of reconciliation between pluralism of significance and pluralism of presence. (shrink)

Offers a renovated form of Confucian liberalism that forges a reconciliation between the two extremes of anti-Confucian liberalism and anti-liberal Confucianism.

This article argues that the core value of “humanity” (ren 仁) in the Confucian tradition may serve as a resource for global ethics in the 21st century. After presenting three major questions raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, it proposes a “reconciliation” between Confucian and Western traditions for a solution to the challenges of the pandemic. Confucian “humanity”, based on the idea of interpenetration between what is inside and what is outside, may pave the way to a true “reconciliation” (...) in our era. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: Idealism and the Reconciliation of the Cheng‐Zhu and Lu‐Wang Schools Substance and Application in the Philosophy of Culture Strengthening Confucianism with Western Philosophy Conversion to Materialism Further Reading.

The _Analects_ is a compendium of the sayings of Confucius (551-479 b.c.e.), transcribed and passed down by his disciples. How it came to be transformed by Zhu Xi (1130-1200) into one of the most philosophically significant texts in the Confucian tradition is the subject of this book. Scholarly attention in China had long been devoted to the _Analects._ By the time of Zhu Xi, a rich history of commentary had grown up around it. But Zhu, claiming that the _Analects_ was (...) one of the authoritative texts in the canon and should be read before all others, gave it a still more privileged status in the tradition. He spent decades preparing an extended interlinear commentary on it. Sustained by a newer, more elaborate language of metaphysics, Zhu's commentary on the _Analects_ marked a significant shift in the philosophical orientation of Confucianism--a shift that redefined the Confucian tradition for the next eight centuries, not only in China, but in Japan and Korea well. Gardner's translations and analysis of Zhu Xi's commentary on the _Analects_ show one of China's great thinkers in an interesting and complex act of philosophical negotiation. Through an interlinear, line-by-line "dialogue" with Confucius, Zhu effected a reconciliation of the teachings of the Master, commentary by later exegetes, and contemporary philosophical concerns of Song-dynasty scholars. By comparing Zhu's reading of the _Analects_ with the earlier standard reading by He Yan (190-249), Gardner illuminates what is dramatically new in Zhu Xi's interpretation of the _Analects._ A pioneering study of Zhu Xi's reading of the _Analects,_ this book demonstrates how commentary is both informed by a text and informs future readings, and highlights the importance of interlinear commentary as a genre in Chinese philosophy. (shrink)

The multicultural work, The Dream of the Red Chamber, posits a field for exploring the interconnection between Confucian interpretations and its intrinsic Goddess narrative. In this article, I examine the reconciliation of the former with the latter. The immanent transcendence in Neo-Confucianism is not enough for interpreting this novel, for covering the question of a natural connection between Vermilion Pearl and Shen Ying, for a dichotomy of tian and the earth, the transcendent and the immanent. The Goddess narrative (...) of repairing tian can rectify this difficult position and a nomadic spirituality forged in a mutually cultivating process is proposed, both to rescue the Confucian interpretation of the novel and to find a way of reconciling the Confucian ‘tian’ and the Goddess. (shrink)

The connection between Chinese sexism and Confucianism has been a subject of study on the condition of Chinese women in the West since the rise of feminist consciousness in the 1970s. However Confucianism in feminist scholarship is inescapably construed as a misogynous ideology that is incapable of self-rectification in regards to the issue of gender parity. Hence, conceptually the eradication of Confucianism becomes the necessary condition for the liberation of Chinese women, and the adoption of Western ideology (...) let it be Marxist-socialism, Liberalism, or Existentialism is then a logical next step for Chinese women. Yet, such a dichotomization of the West as a superior moral subject and the East as a passive object victimized by their "sexist" tradition is nevertheless an oversimplification of the condition and the liberation of women in the developing world. In the end, it is essentially a neo-colonial discourse in a feminist disguise. This dissertation sets itself up to accomplish two tasks: first, it is to obtain a conceptual clarity of what constitutes Confucianism and its connection with dominant sexist, social practices; second, it is to go beyond a mere critique of Confucianism and feminism as an ally of Chinese patriarchal family structure and Western imperialism respectively, and to lay a foundation for a future construction of a gender theory based on Confucianism as a theoretical ground to explain the cultural construct of Chinese women and to conceive an alternative ethical ground for women's liberation. Eventually, the whole project can be seen as an act of self-affirmation of my ethnic identity as a Chinese and an act of reconciliation with my feminist identity in the modern world. (shrink)

Twenty-five years after the delivery of political democracy, the Edenic projects of nonracialism and the Rainbow Nation have failed because there was no fuller appreciation of what is meant by ubuntu. The version of ubuntu that was used and applied immediately after 1994 should have focused first on re-empowering the Black social groups. Instead, attempts to rebuild all races and forge social cohesion were made through the defunct Truth and Reconciliation Commission and short-term sporting codes like the 1995 Rugby (...) World Cup, the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That understanding of ubuntu was a sanitised quick fix that could not undo centuries of dehumanisation, as characterised by apartheid. Ubuntu Beyond Identities presents the true meaning of ubuntu, which has its roots in communitarian societies and their value systems, and redefines it within the premises of lived African experiences. As part of an international benchmark on the viability of local value systems aimed at a fulfilled citizenry, the book compares ubuntu to its counterparts of Jantelagen in Sweden and Confucianism in China. The book emphasises that society is a lived space beyond the monetary capital production and seeks to empower South Africans with conceptual and practical tools to become dignified and fulfilled citizens. It explains the notions of ownership and examines two types: the private, which promotes individual profits aimed at a zero-sum game, and the primordial, which is meant to deliver to the communal table of society for the benefit of an entire nation. (shrink)

반지성주의는 지성 자체를 부정하지는 않으나 자신이 아는 것만을 옳다고 여기며, 그에 반하는 지적 토론을 반사회적인 것으로 취급하여 권력으로 억압하려는 생각이나 태도를 말한다. 유가가 지적 탐구를 통해 덕성을 함양하고 유위(有爲)의 공동선을 창출하려는 지성주의라면, 도가는 인위적 매개를 끊고 무위(無爲)를 통해 신명(神明)의 도에 직접 다다르려는 다른 의미의 지성주의였다. 『노자』의기지(棄智)는 지성 자체에 대한 반대가 아니라 교지(巧智)에 대한 반대이며, 내면의 밝음[明]을 찾아가는 과정이다. 『장자』의 공자비판은 인위적 가공을 거치지 않고 인간 내면에 실재하는 자연성인 진지(眞知)로 돌아가자는 것이다. 황노(黃老)는 유가의 인의예법이란 외재적 매개를 거부하고, 내재하는 신명을 정신적 주체로 (...) 삼아 직접 도(道=천=자연)에 이르고자 하였다. 이렇게 볼 때 노장과 황노 모두 반지성주의가 아니다. 유가와 도가 논쟁의 핵심은 지식 자체에 대한 문제가 아니라, 무엇이 진정한 지식인가에 대한 것이다. (shrink)

This highly accessible book provides a comprehensive unpacking and interpretation, suitable for students and scholars in all fields, of towering philosopher Mou ...

이 글은, 유교인성교육을 성찰하고 오늘날의 시대적⋅사회적 요구를 반영하여, ‘품격 있는 사회’를 위한 유교의 인성교육 방향을 제시한 하나의 유교담론이다. 유교자본주의를 중심으로 한 기존 유교담론은 그 장점에도 불구하고 유교 본질에서 벗어난 측면이 있다. 유교의 본질이 인간됨을 위한 학문과 교육임을 염두에 둘 때, 유교담론은 인성교육담론이 되어야 한다. 전통유교교육은 최대 도덕성 추구라는 장점에도 불구하고 시대적⋅방법적으로 한계를 지녔으며, 따라서 오늘날 급변하는 사회 변화에 부응할 수 있어야 한다. 이를 위해 유교인성교육의 특성⋅본질⋅한계를 살펴보았다. 도래할 미래사회에서 인류가 고도로 발달된 과학기술에 속박되지 않기 위해서는 무엇보다 ‘인간 주체성 회복’이 요구되는데, (...) 이는 유교교육의 내용에서 그 핵심을 찾아볼 수 있다. 한국은 물질주의와 경쟁 위주의 사회 분위기로 대표되는 압축 근대화를 거치며 유교가 중시했던 본질적 삶의 가치, 인간의 지켜야 할 기본적인 품위와 품격에서 멀어지고 말았다. 한국 사회는 이제 경제적으로 선진국 대열에 도달하여 세계 여러 국가들을 배려해야 할 입장에 있다. 나아가 삶의 질과 인생의 가치를 추구하며 ‘품격 있는 사회’를 목표로 하고 있다. 이 글에서는 ‘품격 있는 사회’ 실현을 위한 유교인성교육의 방안을 세 가지로 제시하였다. 첫째, 품격의 바탕이 되는 ‘선비정신’은 정신적 가치의 기반이며, ‘나눔문화’는 약자에 대한 배려와 富의 나눔을 강조한 것이다. 둘째, ‘일상적 창의성’은 보통사람들의 삶 속에서 ‘인성’과 ‘창의성’을 어떻게 조화시킬 것인가에 대한 고민이다. 셋째, ‘격대교육’을 중심으로 한 가정교육의 정립은 오늘날 인성교육의 장으로서 가정교육의 역할 재정립이라는 점에서 무엇보다 중요하다. 이 글의 거시적 담론이 차후 제반 방안에 대한 논의들로 구체화됨으로써 ‘품격 있는 사회’ 실현을 위한 기초가 되기를 기대한다. (shrink)

본문의 목적은 유학적 사유와 삶의 양식에서 비극적인 상황은 어떻게 이해되고 극복되는지를 탐색하는 데 있다. 특히 세월호 참사와 그에 연관된 사건들을 논의의 중심에 둔다. 세월호 참사 피해자들의 비통함은 양심의 가책과 공동체에 관한 도덕적 문제의식을 불러일으킨다. 본문에서는 유학적 사유의 재료들을 세월호 참사란 구체적 비극에 적용하여, 유학을 배우고 익히는 이들이 자신들에게 닥쳐온 비극적 상황을 해석하고 다시 보편화하는 사유의 방법론을 탐문한다. 유학에서 발견되는 비극의 테마들은 유학이 금욕적이고 지성적인 태도만을 사람들에게 요구하지 않음을 보여준다. 비극을 보편적인 사건으로 받아들이고 극복하고 치유하는 원동력은 ‘만물일체(萬物一體)’에 기초한 ‘공감의 연대’에서 찾을 (...) 수 있다. 나아가 세월호 참사란 사례에서 중화(中和)라는 개념은 어떻게 읽힐 수 있는지에 대해 숙고한다. 중화 공부란 개인 정감의 수양을 넘어 공동체적 차원의 회복으로까지 확장되어야 한다. 결론적으로, 유학은 현대의 비극에 대해 시의성과 절실함을 담아 응답해야 하며, 유학자들은 세계적으로 발호하는 증오와 폭력에 맞서 무슨 일을 할 수 있는지 모색해야 한다. (shrink)

한국의 근대화는 우리에게 괄목할만한 성취를 안겨 주었지만, 그 이면에 중앙 편중, 이분법적 사물 접근, 획일화, 주변화, 타자화의 ‘결여의 공간’을 낳았다. 한편 유교는 근대화 과정에 중요 이념적 요소여서 그 성취에 정신적 지주 역할을 하였을 뿐만 아니라, 결여 현상에 일정 부분 잘못 이용되기도 하였다. 이 같은 문제의식에서, 이 논문은 두 층위의 유교, 지배 이념적 정치 유학과 본원 유교에 주목하여 그 성찰을 요청한다. 또한 ‘실학’으로서 유교가 결코 바람직하지 않은 현대 한국의 중심화 해소에 어떤 역할을 할 수 있을지도 모색해 본다. 그렇게 함으로써 오늘을 사는 (...) 한국적 공간에 내재하는 오도된 가치, 국가 아이덴티티, 중앙 집중으로부터 비롯된 본원 가치-문명적 가치(유교) 뿐만 아니라 사물이나 장소 가치-의 왜곡된 인식에 대하여 접근한다. 아울러 이 논문은 우리 사회에 만연된 사물이나 지역이 지닌 가치 발현의 문제, 근대화 과정에 만들어진 집중, 쏠림 현상을 벗어나기 위한, ‘탈중심’의 대안은 없는지에 관한 검토한다. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Starting from a comparative, textual investigation, the present research proposes a transcultural analysis of the early interaction between Confucianism and Buddhism in China, Korea, and Japan, and of their historical movement from tension/disconnection to mutual acceptance and reciprocal influence.

Neo-Confucianism is a philosophically sophisticated tradition weaving classical Confucianism together with themes from Buddhism and Daoism. It began in China around the eleventh century CE, played a leading role in East Asian cultures over the last millennium, and has had a profound influence on modern Chinese society. -/- Based on the latest scholarship but presented in accessible language, Neo-Confucianism: A Philosophical Introduction is organized around themes that are central in Neo-Confucian philosophy, including the structure of the cosmos, (...) human nature, ways of knowing, personal cultivation, and approaches to governance. The authors thus accomplish two things at once: they present the Neo-Confucians in their own, distinctive terms; and they enable contemporary readers to grasp what is at stake in the great Neo-Confucian debates. (shrink)

This issue of Contemporary Chinese Thought is devoted to recent mainland Chinese Confucian philosophizing, and especially to arguments about what “Mainland New Confucianism” signifies that were prompted by somewhat dismissive remarks about Mainland New Confucianism by the noted Taiwanese scholar Li Minghui in early 2015. This introduction begins by summarizing some of the challenges Confucianism has encountered in the twentieth century and also the rise of New Confucianism. It next turns to the emergence of Mainland New (...) Confucianism as a distinct and controversial phenomenon, arguing that after an initial stage (characterized here as its “infancy”), Mainland New Confucianism has now entered a somewhat more diverse and mature stage (its “adolescence”) in which Jiang Qing plays less of an important role. After overviews of each of the essays included in this issue and summaries of some of key terms in which the debates are carried out, the introduction concludes by reflecting on the place of Confucianism within contemporary East Asia. (shrink)

최근에 전국 시대의 초 나라 지역에서 발굴된 텍스트는 ‘고대 중국 다시 쓰기’를 추동할 정도로 이 시기 지식인들을 새로운 시각으로 조명할 것을 요구한다. 이 글은 이제까지 전래문헌을 중심으로 추출한 고대 중국 사상사의 서술에서 벗어나 종교적 의례를 위한 서주 시대 청동기 명문에서 전국 시대 초 나라 죽간에 이르기까지 유가 사상과 관계된 고고학적 텍스트를 분석한다. 이러한 분석은 초나라 지역의 지식인들이 과거의 종교적 전통을 계승하면서 지역의 특수성에 기반한, 북쪽 중국과는 다른 유가 사상 전개의 방향성을 제시한다. 과거 주 나라의 조상숭배를 위한 의례에서 樂舞를 통하여 ‘威儀’로 (...) 드러난 덕은 초 나라 지역의 유가적 지식인들에 의하여 내면적 수양의 대상으로 전화하였다. 초 지역의 의례 전문가들(儒)은 이전 시대에 天과 조상에서 확인하여 전할 수 있었던 덕의 개념을 누구라도 수양할 수 있는 대상으로서 보편적 덕성의 개념으로 해석하였다. 주 나라의 이념과 통치가 붕괴된 시기에 과거 종교적 의례의 전통과는 별개로, 철저히 철학적 담론의 주제로서 인간 본성의 회복과 실현에 논의의 초점을 맞추는 맹자와는 달리, 초 나라 지역의 의례 전문가들은 의례 행위 그 자체를 도덕적 수양의 토대로 삼는 유가적 교육을 전개하였다. (shrink)

Ben shu ji yu Wang Chuanshan zhe xue wen ben, can zhao "nei zai quan shi" de li lu yi ji quan shi zhi "dao" "shu" de ce lüe ji qiao, dui wang chuan shan zhe xue jin xing yan jiu, ti chu zhu ru Song Ming ru xue "san xi shuo", "wu zhong shi" ji xian shi shi jie de yu zhou lun, "tai ji" ben ti lun, xing zhi qian zai yu shi xian, liang ge ceng mian de (...) gong fu lun, ji yu "jin hua" de xun huan li shi guan, jun quan de "he fa xing" "zheng dang xing"yi ji "zi zhi lun" deng yi xie xin de guan dian, bing ti chu ru xue "shi cun dao de miao shu" "xing shang xue" "xing shang dao de shi jian" san zhong xing tai, tong guo jiang Wang Chuanshan yu Huang Zongxi deng tong shi dai de ru zhe yi qi zhi yu Ming mo Qing chu ru xue "xing shang dao de shi jian" xing tai, dui Wang Chuanshan zhe xue jin xing ru xue shi ding wei, wei Qing dai yi hou ru xue bao kuo xian dai xin ru xue dian ding ji ben fang xiang. (shrink)

Up until the present day, Confucianism has been a major factor in the normative discourses of East Asia. At first glance, it has sided with the preservation of the old and against innovation, according to Confucius’s self-declaration that he “only transmits and creates nothing new.” This also describes the historical role that Confucianism in distinction to other philosophies has actually played over long stretches of time. Nevertheless, Confucian ethics contains structural features, figures of thought and ideas which point (...) beyond mere traditionalism. They reflect the deep crisis of tradition against the background of which Confucianism came into existence and which has left its mark on it. They could set free a dynamic that made it possible to distance oneself from the Confucian tradition within this tradition itself and open it up to something new, if not in terms of its creation then at least in terms of its acceptance and support. This potential also intrinsically relates to the possibility of a “modern” Confucianism. The following three short essays do not claim to give a comprehensive account of the outlined problematique. It is only intended to throw a light upon some of the corresponding thought formations that developed in ancient China and explore by a few examples the extent to which the said potential has actually been realized in later Confucian discourse in Korea and Japan, assuming that border crossing might be among the factors to unleash it. (shrink)

Modern Confucian political philosophy has long been divided between the more comprehensive branch of theories that prioritize Confucian classics and traditions and the more moderate branch of theories that attempt to modernize Confucianism so as to better accommodate contemporary East Asian societies.1 Recently, Joseph Chan and Sungmoon Kim, two leading thinkers from the latter camp proposed their distinct approaches to advocate what for them are the most promising versions of political Confucianism. Chan advances what he calls "Confucian political (...) perfectionism," which is based on the belief that "Confucians should embrace modern institutions and measures if they are effective and tie them to the Confucian... (shrink)

The concept of legitimacy is at the heart of the theory of power. It is essential to understand how a political power is built and how obedience is obtained among the population. We examine here the legitimacy of power for two of the most important political philosophies of classical China: Confucianism and Legalism. We show how a specific group of the population, the scholar-officials, play a specialised role in the two systems, acting as a legitimisation group. We further compare (...) rites and laws as a way to obtain social order, and morality vs punishments as a way to obtain obedience. We conclude that the Confucianist system is less fragile than the Legalist, but also more oppressive, since it allows fewer personal choices to individuals. (shrink)

논문에서는 중국이슬람 학자인 마덕신(馬德新)의 유학과 이슬람 관계를 논의하고자 한다. 이슬람이 중동에서 시작하였다면, 유학은 동아시아의 주류사상이다. 하지만 마덕신은 유학과 이슬람은 동일한 근원을 지니고 있다고 주장하면서 이슬람의 유일신 알라를 유학경전에서의 천(天) 또는 상제(上帝)로 이해한다. 이를 통해서 유학을 종교적인 관점에서 접근한다.BR 마덕신은 유학 경전에는 무형의 천과 유형의 천이 있지만, 무형의 천이 바로 알라이라고 주장하면서, 초월적인 천이 공자와 맹자 철학에서도 계승되고 있다고 한다. 하지만 송대 리학에서는 원시 유학의 초월적인 천이 형이상적인 천으로 바뀌면서 우주만물의 생성과 변화를 주재할 수 있는 능력을 상실했다고 본다. 그래서 이학의 우주론은 (...) 알라의 주재력을 전제로 해야 한다고 주장하면서 알라의 본체론을 제시한다. 그리고 그는 이학의 도덕수양론을 알라신의 신앙을 중심으로 접근한다. 그는 신앙심을 기르기 위해서 덕을 닦아야 하며, 그 방법을 바로 寡慾에서 찾고 있다. 마덕신은 마음을 깨끗하게 하고 욕심을 줄이면 알라에 가깝게 갈 수 있다고 하면서 이슬람의 신앙을 수양으로 이해한다. (shrink)

The quest for liberation of all South Africans from past racial divides since the inception of democratic government has been prioritised for more than 24 years now. Although this is an ongoing process and some achievements have been made to this end, it is yet evident that the impact of racism and apartheid still influence many lives both in and outside the churches. The Gereformeerde Kerke in South Africa is amongst the churches that officially removed the barriers of apartheid to (...) have one united church. The relevant question would be to ask if relatively good progress had been made towards uniting these churches. This article intends to unveil evidence in the form of case studies that reconciliation and unity are still a journey which the members of the mentioned church should embark on. There are members of some congregations under this church who are still held within the culture of separation and hence they make it difficult to unify the church. The foundation for reconciliation had been laid down, but the challenge is now to build unity upon it. Despite some racial signs still visible in some churches, this article concerns itself in looking a place where unity, peace and reconciliation are expected to be at the top of the agenda. The article attempts to propose some strategies towards unity within the GKSA. Practical case studies will be consulted to indicate the existence of the challenge of racism in the GKSA, despite efforts to eradicate it from government and other stakeholders concerned. (shrink)

이택후는 모종삼을 중심으로 하는 현대신유학의 유학3기설이 말하려는 주장의 핵심을 心性論 중심의 철학으로 이해하고 있다. 그는 심성론을 통하여 중국유학을 규정하려는 모종삼의 시도는 매우 편향된 관점으로 荀子나 漢代유학이 가진 특색을 말살하고 있는 것으로 보고 있다. 이택후는 현대신유학은 이론구조나 사변적 깊이, 그리고 창조적 수준을 막론하고 모두 송명이학을 조금도 넘어서지 못했고 또한 새로운 해석을 제기하지도 못했기 때문에 이택후는 현대신유학을 ‘現代宋明理學’이라고 부른다. 이택후는 유학4기설을 통하여 유학3기설의 관점이 內聖에 치우쳐 현대적 의미의 外王을 실질적으로 전개해 내지 못하는 것에 대해 비판하고 宗敎性道德과 社會性道德이라는 관점을 통하여 전통적인 내성외왕을 해체한다. (...) 전통유학이 가진 정치 · 윤리 · 종교의 三者合一체계를 해체하는 일차적인 작업이 바로 종교성 도덕과 사회성 도덕으로 나누는 시도이다. 이런 이택후의 시도는 전통유학의 내성이 외왕을 결정하는 汎道德主義的인 구조와는 ‘다른 길을 개척한’ 유학4기설의 기본 방향이다. (shrink)

As the title suggests, in this part of the essay I am going to discuss in brief the religious spirit of Confucianism.

While social-emotional learning as a specific education concept originated from North America, the thoughts on emotions and associated pedagogical practices have developed across cultures. Drawing on Confucian and Daoist perspectives, this paper aims to reconfigure an alternative of social-emotional learning, beyond the dominant framework rooted in Western liberalism. It argues that the Confucian and Daoist notions of self are ontologically interrelated and in this interrelatedness the uniqueness of all things is constructed and embedded, which expects one to be authentic and (...) appropriate in her/his emotional interactions with others. As elucidated by three selected pedagogical examples, the proposed alternative of social-emotional learning can be elaborated as cultivating a sense of interrelatedness which nurtures one’s unique emotional bonds with others and enabling one to authentically experience the emotional interrelatedness and appropriately respond to the fulfillment of others’ emotional life. This alternative may also inspire us to go beyond the social-focus as indicated in the current concept and achieve social-ecological wellbeing and harmonization, echoing many other indigenous worldviews. (shrink)

The ideal of human life as a life of sagehood is the core of Confucian thought. In neo?Confucianism the stress is on the self?perfectibility of man, and the central concern of neo?Confucianist thinkers has accordingly been with the question of how man can cultivate his own potentiality to be a sage. The different answers they give are in the form of teachings about the ?way?, these teachings incorporating different philosophical views of mind, human nature, and the universe. The author (...) outlines the views of successive neo?Confucianists and their versions of the ?way?, seeing their teachings as developments towards the doctrine presented by Wang Yang?ming (b. 1472), whose thought can be seen in particular as a synthesis of the views of Chu Tzu and Lu Shiang?shan. (shrink)

Fan Ruiping is engaged in a wide-ranging project to reconstruct Confucianism for the contemporary period. It includes his sustained attack on John Rawls’ theory of distributive justice, various Chinese policies and practices on the delivery of health and elder care, and global business ethics. This paper describes his revised Confucian understanding of environmental morality under the metaphor of nature as garden and man as gardener. I argue the current state of this effort is in need of a more robust (...) appropriation of Chinese sources and a greater attention to comparative analogues using the garden metaphor. I conclude with some suggestions that might advance this specific aspect of his project. (shrink)

Editor’s AbstractGuo Qiyong is one of China's leading scholars of Confucianism, and in this essay proposes a distinctive way of thinking about Mainland New Confucianism that is notable for excluding Jiang Qing, Chen Ming, and some other self-identified Mainland New Confucians. Guo says that the fundamental political goal of all New Confucians has been “liberalism”; he argues that values like democracy and human rights can be both universally shared and yet retain distinctive, local differentiations.

Gadamer’s hermeneutics offers several strategies for critiquing Chung-ying Cheng’s synthesis of Confucianism and Kant. Interpreting Kant’s Groundwork, Cheng argues that the distinction between perfect and imperfect duties is too rigid: if the “life principle” is the ultimate root of Kant’s four types of duty, then human inclinations are good; Kant’s perfect duties turn out to be imperfect in some situations, while his imperfect duties such as benevolence turn out sometimes to be perfect. Although Cheng’s synthesis does not satisfy the (...) Groundwork’s universal aim, it does show how to apply Kant’s insights to empirical moral situations. (shrink)

In Heidegger’s Black Notebooks some ideas about political embodiment can be found, which have come under suspicion to justify the Third Reich’s race law. In the following article, the analysis and discussion of Heidegger’s political embodiment will firstly be traced back to the traditional understanding of the human as a “rational animal”, and will then look at how the “racial being” is subsequently developed and eventually transformed into political absolute subjectivism. Moreover, Heidegger’s in-depth explanation and critique on Nietzsche’s metaphysics, which (...) he views as having transformed human experiences to a metaphysical representation and thus misunderstanding human nature, will also be clarified. Through Heidegger’s critic on biologism, a profound disclosure which potentially imply an attack of the racism at his time can be shown. Furthermore, Heidegger’s thinking of Being as a kind of emancipation of European political embodiment will also be analyzed. Lastly, although Heidegger and Confucianism have different ideas of lived-body, both schools basically show the same fundamental understanding of human nature. In regard to this, their understanding of political embodiment, their similarities and divergences, will be elucidated. (shrink)

청대 고증학은 고전과 경전의 복원(復原)을 통한 법고창신(法古創新) 온고지신(溫故知 新)의 방법론을 주창한 고전주의 학파이다. 하지만 18세기 고증학을 수용하였던 조선의 유학계는 협소한 자구(字句) 해석과 문자학적 훈고(訓誥)에 집중하는 고증학의 경전고변 이 학문적 실용성이 있는가에 대한 의문을 제기하며 또 하나의 지적유희에 젖어들어 훈고 적학 공리공론으로 고증학이 빠져들 것이라는 우려를 떨쳐내지 못하였다. 하지만 조선 중, 후기 유학자들이 고증학 전반에 대하여 비판적인 시각을 견지했던 것 은 아니다. 명청 교체기 초기 고증학의 명대 3대 유로(遺老)인 고염무, 황종희 왕부지 등 에 대해서 조선의 유학계에서는 매우 긍정적이고 우호적인 입장을 모여주는 (...) 것들이 자주 나타난다. 이들의 특징은 경세치용의 실용적 경세론을 주창하는 학자들이었다는 것이다. 명말청초 경세치용의 고증학은 근본적으로 공사 사를 대립적 개념으로 상정했던 송대 성리학과 달리, 공 사의 통일적 관계에 주목한다. 이와 같은 공과 사의 경계 허물기는 조 선 실학사상에서는 결코 피해 갈 수 없는 것이었다. 이에 대한 조심스러운 수용은 기호 남 인계 성호학파에서부터 제기되는 것으로 보인다. 또한 이것은 노론계 북학파에서는 사욕과 탐욕을 위한 근대 자본주의 욕망구조의 승인 이 아닌 국가공동체의 공익을 위한, 즉 공적 영역에서의 사리(私利)의 수용으로 나타난다. 또한 재화와 욕망의 공적 수용이라는 측면에서 유교주의적 경세론에서 벗어나지 않으며 이용후생학파의 이론적 토대가 되기도 한다. 이외에도 황종희의 사회개혁론은 정약용과 최한기 등 당시 조선실학자들에게 막대한 사회사상적 영향을 주었으며 조선 후기 실학사상의 민권 민본주의의 근간을 제공한 것이 다 이렇게 명말청초 초기 계몽파 고증학의. 경세치용적 개혁사상은 조선 실학사상의 사회 변혁 사상의 근간이 되었음은 분명하다. (shrink)

How much should adult children sacrifice to care for their chronically ill parents? If parents commit crimes, should their children report them to the authorities? What are the demands of filial obligation in these cases? Traditionally, Confucians have favoured a somewhat stringent view of filial obligation. By this view, adult children have to provide long‐term care to their parents as well as place their parents' interests over any concerns of justice, should the two happen to conflict. I will call these (...) stringent views the principles of filial caregiving and filial favoritism. In this paper, I will use Scanlon's Contractualism to analyze the two principles, and juxtapose the Contractualist analysis with the Confucian filial piety. By doing this, we sharpen Confucianism's critical elements, and highlight the coherence of Contractualism with this ethical ideology from a non‐analytic tradition. (shrink)

For most contemporary liberals, politics concerns distribution in social arrangements based on consent, guided not by unified notions of the good life, but by notions of justice or rights prior to and neutral towards conceptions of the good. ;This liberal demarcation between politics and ethics assumes an ideal of individual autonomy that has little meaning to Confucianism. However, Confucianism is authoritarian. Confucianism views individuals and societies differently, but nevertheless avoids subordinating either to the other. Via communitarian critiques (...) of liberal democracy and John Dewey's conception of democracy that bridges the liberal-communitarian divide, the author argues that a Confucian democracy is possible in which politics and ethics are inseparable without being oppressive. ;Chapter one sets the problem within recent debates over liberal democracy global norm, the liberal-communitarian debate, and John Dewey's philosophy. ;Chapter two discusses a conception of social individuals that offers an alternative to the liberal conception of the autonomous self. Comparing Dewey's views with constructed Confucian conceptions, the chapter shows that recognizing individuals as inherently social does not subordinate individuals to some collective entity totally separate from its individual members. ;Through an understanding of their conceptions of communities as nonexclusionary and requiring individual creativity, chapter three explores the resources in Dewey's, pragmatism and early Confucianism for guidance on building democratic communities in which individuals flourish together. The operative conceptions of the good life in such communities would be neither imposed completely from above, nor begin entirely from below. ;Chapter Four compares Confucian and Deweyan ethico-political orders in which ethics and politics are inseparable. It suggests that, while Confucianism for most of its history has not explicitly advocated "government by the people," its emphasis on "government for the people" provides a Confucian argument for democracy. ;Chapter five examines how Confucians balance freedom with authority, and draws from early Confucianism and Dewey's philosophy an alternative ideal of human freedom in contrast with the liberal ideal of individual autonomy. ;In conclusion, the dissertation considers some difficulties and strategies of bringing about a Confucian democracy. (shrink)

This article explores Mencius’s virtue-oriented ethics and its metaphysical foundation for resources they can provide to transgenerational communities. Mencius’s ethics offers moral norms for human actions that transcend those generations with whom they can interact and impact generations of people in the future. These actions range from the preservation of traditional values to the challenges of climate change, offering grounds for transgenerational justice. Mencius’s account of virtues offers a moral justification for the standards of living that are common to all (...) human beings, justifying their entitlements to certain economic, social, cultural, and environmental conditions for the cultivation of moral virtues that perfect human nature. Due to his view that the metaphysics of human nature also governs the cosmic world, the virtues that govern good human relationships will also protect the world’s natural resources, regardless of whether someone subscribes to a Confucian community. (shrink)