The Meaning of ‘Filial Piety’ and Ethics of Care in the Korean Family

Abstract

The Korean society which has entered the aging society very quickly is facing a new family problem concerning the aged and the big issue about caring for the aged socially. Filial piety has always been considered a hot issue in Korean society with its strong sense of Confucian familial emotion. An oppressive meaning inherent in filial piety cannot be overlooked even though filial piety practices traditional virtues and is related to humanism. Premised on this critical eye, this paper proposes that a discourse on filial piety in modern times is a way to minimize the problems caused by emphasizing the consciousness of traditional filial piety, while putting an emphasis on the ethical side of care that filial piety has. This paper suggests the above in the following three points. First, this paper emphasizes that filial piety should not be a virtue confined to family relations and something solely dependent on maternity, but should be extended and applied to the male area beyond sex and social relations. Second, this paper emphasizes that filial piety should be discussed not from the viewpoint of care coming from the intimacy caused by special relations but from the viewpoint of right, equality, and justice among the people who exchange the acts of care. Third, this paper emphasizes that to practice filial piety should be based on responsibility and the self-nurture attendant on difficult works.