Modern Confucianism and the concept of sustainable development

Abstract

This article examines interrelation between the concept of Confucianism and sustainable development, as well as their theoretical mutual influence in the context of the development of China’s modern social-humanistic thought. The research employs the methods of comparative analysis, system and structural approaches. The subject of this study is mostly modern scientific articles from the publication “Confucianism and Sustainable Development of Mankind” of November 16-19, 2019 based on the VI Congress of the International Confucian Association in Beijing, as well as the research of the Chinese authors on the topic. Special attention is given to the impact of the traditional spiritual heritage upon substantiation of the modern concept. The main conclusion lies in the statement that the ideas of Confucianism are widely used for the theoretical justification of the concept of sustainable development, namely from the ethical perspective, which proves rather declarative-propagandistic nature of these works. Similar focus on the humanistic and ethical aspects of Confucianism as a reputable evidence of the modern concept of sustainable development on the level of scientific abstraction and theorization levels out the systemic problem of economic and sociopolitical structure as the key source of the all-round crisis. Namely this structure reproduces the consumer type of personality as the foundation of capitalistic system, which in many ways contradicts the traditional spiritual values. This may lead to humanization of the traditional spiritual doctrines, including Confucianism, which is oriented towards humanistic values of individualism and primacy of a human. Such influence of the liberal-humanist ideology on Confucianism distorts its basic worldview attitudes as a conservative patriarchal ideology, and turns it into the instrument of ethical manipulation.