Thoreau’s Confucian Translation, Non-Cultivation and Eco-Dao Poetics

Though a concern with nature is one way of accessing the fictional world of all Hawthorne's Transcendentalist contemporaries, he has long been considered the least interested in nature. Despite the vast research done on Hawthorne’s rich and multi-layered novel, The Scarlet Letter (1849) has been overlooked ecocritically. Nature/ Culture dichotomy is being overlooked in Hawthorne's work. The goal of this paper is to advance an understanding of Hawthorne's attitude towards Culture/Nature dichotomy through rereading The Scarlet Letter and to derive ethical concepts out of nature. To convey his ecological vision, Hawthorne juxtaposes wild nature against the city of Boston and all that the urban culture stands for in 1750. Through the pastoral experience of Hawthorne's heroine, he rediscovers the natural landscape his ancestors once possessed and discarded as a secluded location of secret desires and moral absence. Exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Ecocriticism to the pastoral mode permits a reconsideration of nature/culture relationship. Hawthorne employs his pastoral heroine to resolve the root tensions between culture and nature by living in the borderline between them, gaining wisdom through her long years of solitude. Connecting the interdisciplinary nature of ecocristicsm together, the paper shows that the values expressed in the text are consistent with the ecological wisdom through psycho-analyzing Hawthorne’s main characters. Hawthorne, as a green writer, seeks to promote a reconsidering of one's beliefs and one's vision of Nature for a sound awareness and an essential unity of life

Engaging in dialogue with African philosophy, I respond to questions raised by Thaddeus Metz on characteristics of Confucian philosophy in comparison with African philosophy. First, in both Confucian philosophy and African philosophy, harmony/harmonization and self-realization coincide in the process of person-making. Second, Confucians accept that sometimes it is inevitable to sacrifice individual components in order to achieve or maintain harmony at large scales; the point is how to minimize such costs. Third, Confucians give family love a central place in the good life before extend love to the rest of the world. Fourth, the Confucian philosophy of gender equality is based on appropriate division of labor consistent with its yin-yang philosophy, rather than equal split of power in the family. Fifth, in the Confucian view, hierarchy and harmony do not necessarily contradict each other, though hierarchy is not essential to all forms of harmony. The two can co-exist.

This chapter presents the author's reply to A.T. Nuyen's views on the Confucian philosophy. Morality is of rather little importance in philosophy, but language is of supreme importance. The author derivation rests on two simple principles. One is that ought is used to express reasons for actions. The second principle is: Human beings can voluntarily and intentionally create reasons for action for themselves. At the very end of Nuyen's talk, he suggests something which may be important and that is that perhaps there is a basic difference in world outlook between the Western view as exemplified by Hume and the Confucian view. The author's theory requires the self and that the self is capable of creating desire independent reasons for acting. That is a fundamental principle on which the argument rests. Keywords: A.T. Nuyen; confucian philosophy

During his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI was called ‘the green pope’ because of his ecological commitments in his writings, statements, and practical initiatives. Containing twelve essays by lay, ordained, and religious Catholic theologians and scholars, along with a presentation and a homily by bishops, Environmental Justice and Climate Change: Assessing Pope Benedict XVI's Ecological Vision for the Catholic Church in the United States explores four key areas in connection with Benedict XVI’s teachings: human and natural ecology/human life and dignity; solidarity, justice, poverty and the common good; sacramentality of creation; and our Catholic faith in action. The product of mutual collaboration by bishops, scholars and staff, this anthology provides the most thorough treatment of Benedict XVI’s contributions to ecological teaching and offers fruitful directions for advancing concern among Catholics in the United States about ongoing threats to the integrity of Earth.

In the light of Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology, Laudato si’, this article points to the ecumenical significance of an ecological conversion as integral to the Christian vocation and the promotion of an authentic catholicity. Etymologically speaking, a ‘religious’ commitment intrinsically brings together spiritual and ecological concerns, and inspires new choices in our moral conduct. In ecumenical terms, among the many possible topics, those of creation, Trinity and Eucharist suggest broad and deep dimensions of ecological vision and commitment for the churches that can continue to grow.

本文在方法論上嚴謹依循「澄清概念」、「釐清判準」，以及「建構系統」三條原則，透過對先秦儒家原典的全面分析，探討「聖」、「聖人」及「聖人之道」等重要概念的豐富內涵，闡明「君子之道」與「聖人之道」之間適當的義理關係，並藉由先秦儒家「聖人觀」的基本理解進一步釐清其人性論與其「道統意識」的確切指涉，從而對先秦儒家之「道」展開系統性的界說。為了達成這些研究目的，本文著手回應下述四項核心問題：一，先秦儒家所謂的「聖」及「聖人」到底實指什麼？換言之，「聖人」的標準何在？二，如何界定「君子」（「君子之道」）與「聖人」（「聖人之道」）之間的適當關係？三，能否藉由先秦儒家「聖人觀」的分析反思其共通的「道統意識」？四，先秦儒者所主張的「聖人觀」與其人性論能否取得意義上的融貫？經由本文對《論語》、《孟子》以及《中庸》之「聖人觀」的解析，以及對先秦儒家「道統意識」的重新界定及再詮釋，我們得出以下三點結論。 其一，有關儒家「聖人」的定位問題，「聖人」是在某君子離世以後作為後世君子所敬仰和追念的道德典範而獲得的尊稱；它既是對君子一生道德事蹟的肯認與嘉定，也是作為後世君子所學習與效法的垂世典範。其次，「聖人之道」與「君子之道」不是彼此對立，各自為政的兩個概念，而實為一對相互證成、交相輝映的概念：「君子之道」以達成「聖人之道」為其終極目的，「聖人之道」必須藉由「君子之道」的具體開展而呈現其意義。具體來說，「聖人之道」透過聖人教化的形式構成一連接異代儒者的「意義場域」，而在此特殊的意義場域中，君子或聖人之徒將以歷代聖人的道德事功及人格典範為其自身行道的參照系。此「意義場域」之所以可能，關鍵在於先秦儒家一貫主張的「聖凡同心」之要義——每個人都有可能透過自身的立志和實踐而與「聖人之道」相契合，而「聖人之道」亦有義務光照每個人的成聖之路 。如此一來，「聖人之道」與「君子之道」即為同一個「道」的兩種面向，而這兩種面向經常是相互交涉的——沒有「君子之道」對「聖人之道」的期許與追求，「聖人之道」將淪為空洞懸浮的理念；沒有「聖人之道」的範導作用，「君子之道」將難以完成其自身的拓展。 其二，本文承接前面對先秦儒家「聖人觀」所展開的分析，試圖藉由一個概念的提出凸顯先秦儒家「聖人觀」的共同意識與關懷，並且將散漫於各先秦儒家經典的「聖賢論述」統合在一嚴謹的理論架構之中。這個概念即為「道統意識」。先秦儒者的「道統意識」所關切的不是某種外顯的道統譜系，而是潛存於每個經驗主體心性中的「成聖」欲求，以及聖人透過其道德事功及人格典範對後世君子所發揮的積極範導作用；一言以蔽之，其所關切的是儒家傳統內部的「精神與件」。進而言之，「道統意識」一方面以道德主體自我的進德修業為基點，另一方面又能夠跨出個人修身的狹隘場域而往返於歷代聖人及聖人之徒所共同營造和維繫的廣闊場域。因此，「道統意識」包含共時性及歷時性兩個層面，它涉及的不單是個人在其當下場域與他人之間的互動關係，而是能夠超越時空的限制與歷代的古聖先賢建立的適當而諧和的關係，從而獲得精神上的相通性及契合性。 其三，本文將焦點轉向「道統意識」理論之證成，即探討以「人之道」為顯揚對象的「道統意識」能否與先秦儒家的人性論取得融貫性的解釋。我們的結論是，先秦儒者在探討人性問題的進路及側重點上雖不盡相同，但是基本認同「人性向善」，而「人性向善」與「道統意識」兩個概念之間又有著明確的承繼關係：個人一旦肯定「人性向善」，並以實現「善」要求自己，他其實就已具備作為君子或聖人之徒的條件，從而也就有意識的融入到「聖人之道」的大化流行之中、有義務妥善處理自己與異代聖人之間的互涉關係。

Reviewed by: Religion and Ecological Sustainability in China by James Miller, Dan Smyer Yu and Peter van der Veer Ambika Aiyadurai James Miller, Dan Smyer Yu, and Peter van der Veer, Religion and Ecological Sustainability in China. London and New York: Routledge, 2014. xxi, 247 pp. US $160 (hb). ISBN 978-0-415-85515-0 (hb), 978-1-138-07928-1 (pb) This book provides trans-disciplinary perspectives on world religions and ecology. It comes out at a time of ongoing ecological crisis and imbalance that has caused a sense of urgency regarding the environmental changes and their impact on human and non-human beings. This is an edited volume with two sections dedicated to the themes of "Ecology and the Classics" and "Imagining Nature in Modernity." The book sheds light on how to think about nature in an ecologically sustainable way and asks whether engaging with religious traditions and alternate worldviews holds answers to contemporary China's future. Drawing largely on Tucker and Grimm's exemplary scholarship on religion and ecology, the authors of this volume connect together work on the global consciousness and ecological wisdom found in world religions and in indigenous eco-spiritual traditions. The first section of the volume ("Ecology and the Classics") investigates Chinese views and practices towards the natural world from a textual perspective. Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grimm's chapter, titled "Ecology and the Classics," suggests that Chinese texts might be read as ecological classics because "they offer insight into views of nature and the cosmos in China as well as perspectives on human-earth relations," and "ecological crisis is also a crisis of culture and the human spirit" (p. 19). This is followed by Deborah [End Page 230] Sommer's chapter "Conceptualizations of Earth and Land in Classical Chinese Texts," where she explores the divergent views about earth and land found in pre-Han texts. She tells us that in earlier texts (for example, the Analects 論語 and the Mencius 孟子), earth is not perceived as a particularly important phenomenon, but in later texts (such as the Xunzi 荀子 and the Daodejing 道德經), earth is understood as an important cosmic power. A close reading of the Yijing 易經 is presented by Joseph Adler in his chapter "The Great Virtue of Heaven and Earth: Deep Ecology in the Yijing," which is based on the premise that "human beings and the natural world share a common nature" and therefore, there is a meaningful connection of human interests and human creativity and natural process of change (p. 48). At the core of Yijing cosmology is the idea that communion of humans and natural world makes possible the "ultimate fulfilment and self-realization of both human beings and the natural world" (p. 66). Along these lines of interconnectivity between humans and nature, an interesting analysis and rereading of Confucian and Daoist classics as "soft-hearted" and "hardhearted" ecologies is undertaken in Chen Xia and Peng Guoxiang's chapter, "'HardHearted' and 'Soft-Hearted, Ecologies: A Rereading of Daoist and Confucian Classics," to which Miller appends a response. The central position of humans within the cosmos is at the core of the distinction between these two viewpoints. The Confucian one-body ecological vision places human beings at the centre, not as conquerors of nature but of the heart/mind of the cosmos as a living body. Miller observes that Daoists are "mistrustful of the central place afforded to the human heart in the Confucian view of human engagement with the natural world" (p. 82). It is interesting to note that the subsequent chapters on Chinese conceptions of nature, ecology, and religion show that co-existence of such divergent views is possible. James Miller's chapter "Gods and Nature in Highest Clarity Daoism" shows how the Way of Highest Clarity (Shangqing dao 上清道) that flourished for a thousand years was absorbed into the mainstream Daoist traditions and continues till today in the form of practices. This tradition synthesizes a variety of elements of conceptions of nature and divinity from the medieval Daoists religious movements. The interlinkage of heavens, the earth, and human bodies, which he calls a "transgressive ecospirituality" (p. 93) is a concept that could be...

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.“天地之大德曰生”這一命題是儒家生命哲學的集中體現。這裏的“天地”不僅是客觀的存在，還具有德性倫理的光輝﹔這裏的生命，同時也是人文的終極意義所在——使生命成為生命，使人與自然界相統一而共同歸宿於整個宇宙的精神生命、宇宙生命。天以“生”為其大德，這說明天不僅具有生命意義，而且具有價值意義。生命遵循本體原則，生生不已，發用流行。由此可見，在儒家的“生生”理念中，內含著對“天命”與“理”的深深敬重：對生命起源的敬重、對天地間萬物的敬重、對天地人相通的敬重。在敬重原則的指引下，悲天憫人，珍重生命就成為儒家的重要思想。儒家所言的生命，是指能夠自我發展、自我創造、自我演化、自我更新的存在物。所以在“生生”理念中內含著目的性：凡生命都是有目的性的，“生”的目的性是完善和完美。這樣，出於對生命的敬重和對生命目的性的認識，“生生”理念便衍生出“盡性”原則：萬物各盡其性分。盡興原則，在先秦儒家那裏體現為取之以度、用之以時的生態倫理思想。而後世儒家則進一步認為，在整個自然界和社會中任何一人任何一物均有其各自獨立的生命價值和生命意義，因此皆應予以尊重理解和愛護。在儒家看來，認識的目的在於為其道德實踐服務。在道德實踐層面，“生生”表現為一種追求和諧的“生生”，即人要順從自然以達到天、地、人之間的和諧。生生和諧摒棄了人與自然的對立，是一種仁民愛物、萬物一體的內在人文主義思想。通過生生和諧，使自然、人類、社會成為一個系統的有機的整體。這既代表了人類肯定、培護、滋潤自我生命的需要，也代表了人類生存、發展的方向。"The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is life" – this proposition is a concentrated expression of the Confucian philosophy of life. Here, "Heaven and Earth" is not just an objective existence, but also has the virtue that is ethically brilliant. That "life" is the great virtue of Heaven shows that Heaven not only has the meaning of life but also has the sense of value. Thus, the Confucian philosophy of life, which holds a deep respect for "fate", and "truth", respects the origin of life, respects everything between heaven and earth, and respects the link among heaven, earth and person. Under this principle of respect, cherishing life becomes an important Confucian thinking.The life that Confucian said is the existence that can have self-development, self-creation, self-evolution and self-renewal. Therefore, the "life" idea including the principle of purpose: every life is purposeful, the purpose of life is to improve and perfect. Due to the respect for life and the purpose of life, "life" idea leads to the "development" principle: all things are full with the development. Confucians in the Qin dynasty thought that the development principle implies an ecological ethics that is limited to the use of season. Later, the Confucian further thought that any one or any person has its own independent life value and meaning of life. So all things should be respected, understood and loved.From the Confucian view, the purpose of cognition is service to moral practice. On morally practical level, "life" involves a pursuit of harmony. People ought to attempt to attain the harmony among heaven, earth and the people. It is an inherent humanism thinking that love should go for all the people, with differentiation notwithstanding. Through harmony, natural, human and social systems will come as an organic whole. This not only represents the needs of humans to cultivate and nurture self-life, but also represents a developmental human direction.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 28 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Early Confucian philosophy affirms and lends support to Karen Stohr’s argument that manners are a primary means by which we express moral attitudes and commitments and carry out important moral goals. Indeed, Confucian views on ritual can extend her insights even further, both by highlighting the role that manners play in cultivating good character and by helping us to probe the conceptual boundaries of manners. The various things that we call etiquette, social customs, and rituals (all of which the Confucians saw as expressions of li 禮 “ritual”) do much of the same work for us, ethically, and this work not only expresses moral attitudes and commitments, but cultivates them as well. Accordingly, Confucian thinkers can help us to recognize how Stohr’s argument can be applied more broadly than etiquette, and how good manners both express and cultivate good character.

This article discusses New Confucian views on individuality and related philosophical problems. Special emphasis is given to the position of Tu Wei‐Ming (Du Weiming), a foremost living New Confucian thinker. It is pointed out that many New Confucian philosophers share a vision of a Confucian ‘ideal’ individuality or selfhood based on social integration – as opposed to a Western type of individuality sometimes portrayed as an individuality by isolation. These patterns of individuality are further examined on the basis of Niklas Luhmann's historical analysis of the semantics of individuality and his categories of ‘individuality by inclusion’ and ‘individuality by exclusion’. Finally, some parallels and differences between Confucian and the Luhmannian viewpoints are pointed out, and a suggestion on how a Luhmannian perspective might contribute to reformulations of New Confucian thought is attempted.

Psychology has a pervasive but shallow engagement with Confucian philosophy, mainly referencing its popular form as a part of Chinese tradition. This special issue takes a more systematic view of Confucianism as comprehensive philosophy. Drawing from New Confucianism, it is argued that the signal contribution of Confucianism to psychology as human (rather than natural) science is an ontology of the moral mind (heaven and humanity in union). This holistic ontology makes the cultivation of benevolence (仁) a lifelong mission for Confucianists. Practices of self-cultivation are exemplified by a case study of Zeng Guofan, a Qing Dynasty official and scholar, who combined academics, calligraphy, meditation, diary writing and self-reflection to refine his character, nurture and educate his family, and be of service to society. Second, Confucianism’s traditional lack of interest in epistemology is addressed through the complementary (dialectical) principle of ‘one principle, many manifestations’, where methods of Western science can be incorporated into the investigation of practices such as brush calligraphy that are shown to have beneficial effects on mental and physical health. Confucianism can also be treated as an object of scientific inquiry: We find that even among highly educated Chinese people, understanding of Confucianism today is mostly fragmented and abstract. Confucian Psychology can be summarised as a psychology of aspirations for bettering the condition of humanity through character development and greater awareness of the situation to realise the endowment of moral mind. Finally, there are deep connections between Confucian and Indian psychology—both involve height psychology, a psychology of aspirations and for spiritual transformation.

Filial piety is a Confucian value common in East Asian societies and among Asian-Americans that sets an expectation for children to respect and care for aging parents. Within social work and gerontology literature, filial piety is contested as being a positive or negative influence on families and social welfare policy. However, there has not been a detailed examination of filial piety as presented in the Confucian philosophy that advocates it. Accordingly, this article examines the Confucian view of filial piety in order to assist with the process of transforming it in ways that fit contemporary social conditions.

Eastern and Western scholarship and learning are often construed as the Confucian-Western dichotomy. In the context of lifelong learning, the Confucian philosophy conceptualizes learning as a lifelong process through which learners of any age learn to become a virtuous person and to lead a morally excellent life. Learning in Confucian terms is understood and practiced as learning for the sake of learning itself, as opposed to learning for the sake of an instrumental purpose. Learning for an instrumental purpose is considered characteristic of the competition-oriented notions of lifelong learning in the contemporary West in the context of globalization, which emphasizes survival, competition, and connections to the marketplace. However, any perspective on lifelong learning should not be devoid of age considerations where, very often, similar learning approaches and motivations are assumed for learners of any age. Age is a significant factor in influencing learning behavior and motivation, and there should be notable differences between the younger and older adults as they approach and engage in learning. The aim of this chapter is threefold. First, it will discuss lifelong learning from the Confucian philosophy to identify the differences and similarities between the Confucian and Western learning cultures. Second, it will examine the relevancy of the Confucian view of learning in the context of lifelong learning for and by senior adults. Third, through identifying the differences and similarities of how and why older adults learn, we will extend our understanding of teaching and learning across the various stages of life.

The problem and the solution. Confucian philosophy has dominated Chinese society for more than 2,000 years, and it has had a strong influence in many Asian countries. This philosophy has a unique view of teaching and learning. This article identifies Confucian values and beliefs in relation to teaching and learning. Implications for developing human resources in China are discussed.

This chapter discusses how a study of doctrines and precepts of Confucianism facilitates my ethnographic analysis of psychological self-help genres in China. Since the 1980s, elements of Confucian philosophy have emerged in these genres to help relieve moral confusion and psychological distress. While this Confucianized self-help defines psychological disorders as social and moral dilemmas rather than individual pathologies, its emphasis on virtue cultivation and the intrinsic goodness of human nature – that being virtuous fulfills human nature – biologizes social and moral forces that generate psychological distress. This biologization serves to naturalize and legitimize government initiatives that invoke Confucianism to gain ideological leverage and download state responsibility onto individuals. Yet, a broad, critical view of Confucianism also allows a keen analysis of its political and therapeutic deployment, revealing means of indigenizing psychotherapeutics for a Chinese populace. This case exemplifies how a philosophy can be both the subject of ethnographic research and a tool for its analysis.