Security in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Philosophy and Ethics

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationship between concepts of security and social norms expressed in the written and oral traditions of China, Korea, and Japan. It focuses on observable behaviour and related internalized notions of security without assuming an a priori definition for ‘ethics’, ‘religion’ and ‘philosophy’ and their links to concepts of ‘security’ in East Asia (see chapter by Arends). The change of the relation between religion, society and state during the Renaissance deeply influenced the development of European concepts of security, but East Asia developed differently. This also applies to the link between ‘law’, the state, and security, so important in Hobbes’ seminal works on security. East Asian practice of law left little room for ordinary people to protect themselves against the state, fostered by the strong tendency to emphasize ‘rule by man’ rather than ‘rule by law’. Globalization has not facilitated consensus on common concepts of security and international law by East Asian governments.