Interpretation Of Confucianism Research Articles

仁體的顯現與證成 -以陳來 『仁學本體論』 為中心-

Ren, as the core concept of Confucianism, is equivalent to Confucianism itself. It first appeared as a moral concept in Confucianism, but through the discussions of Confucian scholars through the ages, it has become a basic category with rich connotations that can be used to refer to the nature of human beings, moral norms, moral behaviors, and spiritual realm. On the basis of the work of constructing the ontology of modern Confucianism, Mr. Chen Lai, in his book The Ontology of Ren, reconstructed and interpreted the Ren theory of Confucian scholars through the ages. He developed the ontological and cosmological connotations of Ren from Ren of one and Ren of endless live, and regarded Ren as the cosmic essence, so that Renti was gradually revealed and finally proved. This theoretical innovation thoroughly philosophizes the Confucian idea of Ren and constructs a metaphysical system of it, which truly transcends the philosophical construction work of modern Neo-Confucianism, thus becoming a landmark achievement in the contemporary interpretation of Confucianism and the philosophical construction of contemporary China.

THE INFLUENCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF CONFUCIANISM TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Confucianism requires individuals to take into account the fairness, justice, harmony and peaceful development of others and the whole society while developing themselves. Contemporary international law lacks this requirement of Confucianism. International law, dominated by western civilization, has neither proper regulation nor necessary condemnation toward some countries’ behaviors of neglecting morality and sacrificing the common interests of mankind when pursuing their own interests. In this regard, Confucianism can play a positive theoretical role in the proper development of contemporary international law for it to return to the direction of justice and morality. Besides, Confucianism itself has a theoretical and historical connection with international law and its natural law thoughts. It also has already made positive contributions to the sustainable development of international law, world peace and the development of international human rights. Thus, it is feasible for Confucianism to contribute to the improvement of contemporary international law. The idea of building a human community with a shared future is the modern interpretation of Confucianism, which can be more systematically used as the theoretical basis for improving contemporary international law, so as to ensure the unity of powers and responsibilities of all countries and to take into account the interests of other countries in their own development.

Empathy as a virtue: a Confucian interpretation and a tool to address anti-Asian hate crime

ABSTRACT This paper extends the dominant understandings of empathy – as a trait, state, communication or relationship – by conceptualising it as a virtue and as a tool to address anti-Asian hate crime. Drawing upon the writings of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi, this article interprets empathy as a personal quality that attests to one’s moral excellence. It is argued that Xunzi’s concept of empathy revolves around the ethical attributes of zhong (authenticity) and ren (humaneness). This article amplifies Xunzi’s formulation of empathy by applying it to anti-Asian hate crime in the U.S. The authors propose that Xunzian empathy is a powerful tool to address racism and violence towards Asians through two related and mutually reinforcing approaches: undoing fixation by identifying and eliminating racial/ethnic prejudice and discrimination; and habituating humane conduct by internalising and exhibiting li (normative behaviour) towards fellow human beings. These two approaches and a Confucian construal of empathy as a virtue can be enacted in schools through the strategies of role-taking, empathetic pedagogy, and Global Citizenship Education curriculum.

Analysis of Zhu Xi's Inheritance and Development of Confucianism and Its Transformation and Innovation

Confucius founded Confucianism in the late Spring and Autumn periods, and Mencius and Xunzi emerged during the Warring States period to develop Confucianism from their perspectives. However, Confucianism in this period had not yet achieved a stable social status, and even tended to decline after the war, and was once strongly threatened by the rising Buddhism and Taoism. It was not until the emergence of Zhu Xi, a Southern Song scholar who made a new interpretation of Confucianism and Mencius, that he built a new Confucianism with the core of science. It was then that Confucianism established its unshakeable dominance in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties for nearly seven hundred years. In this paper, we study the inheritance and innovation of Song Confucianism to pre-Qin Confucianism, and we study Zhu Xi's philosophy, which not only developed the ideas of his predecessors but also transformed Confucian values into his true spiritual pillars. We find that Zhu Xi truly achieved the greatness of science and created the new Confucianism, namely Zhu Xi's philosophy. In Zhu Xi's view, "the preservation of heavenly reason, and the extinction of human desire" is the essence of Confucianism. Zhu Xi also established the mind-only theory of "reason and qi dualism". He believes that "reason" is the basis and root of the material world, which is also the law of natural operation, while "qi" is the element of all things He believes that "reason" is the basis and root of the material world, and is also the law of natural operation; while "qi" is the element of all things, "reason" and "qi" are not separate, but "reason first, qi second. In addition to this, Zhu Xi also attaches great importance to education. Zhu Xi believes that if there is no education, even if personal achievements can exceed those of their predecessors, the impact is too small to have much value. He pointed out that if Confucianism could be invested in education, then the spirit of Confucianism could be extended to the whole country, and the achievement of doing so would be incomparable. We see that Confucius' transmission of the Six Classics has become a cultural paradigm. And Zhu Zi's teaching of the Four Books has also achieved uninterrupted success. The teachings of Confucius and Zhu Zi were successively reflected, the former in the pre-Qin Dynasty, the latter in the Southern Song Dynasty, even though a hundred years apart, but Zhu Xi has well taken up the spirit of Confucianism and transformed it into the creation of Neo-Confucianism, which is Zhu Xi's philosophy.

Zhenzhao Nie. Introduction to ethical literary criticism

The Sphinx factor symbolises the duality characteristic of a human who faces an ethical choice. Borrowed from Greek mythology, the Sphinx, that epitome of post-primeval universality, is transformed by Nie in the analysis of key works of world literature into a universal mechanism for explaining the coexistence of good and evil. The book brings up the Confucius factor, with its ritual self-discipline, by referring to the traditions of American ethical criticism, thus enabling a reversed Confucian interpretation of the classical canon. Nie’s work illustrates the methodological choice of Chinese ethical criticism, itself a product of the interaction between Chinese ethical philosophy and the theories and concepts defining the knowledge generated by scholars of the humanities across the globe. Familiar plotlines coalesce into an ethical map of the world.

지욱(智旭) 『논어점정』(論語點睛)의 이불해유(以佛解儒)에 대한 고찰: 인(仁)과 배움[學] 개념을 중심으로

지욱(智旭) 『논어점정』(論語點睛)의 이불해유(以佛解儒)에 대한 고찰: 인(仁)과 배움[學] 개념을 중심으로

Reviewing the Interpretation of Confucian Destiny Thought from the Perspective of Moral Luck Theory

Rationalism has been occupying an important position in the interpretation of Confucian thoughts. However, it faces many limitations from the view of recent research. The theory of moral luck comes from the reflection on moral rationalism, emphasizing that the reflection on morality should return to the living world and pay attention to the context of human life and practice. This has brought new inspiration for the modern interpretation of Confucianism, especially the modern interpretation of the Confucian concept of destiny. The Confucian concept of fate advocates that people understand the “mandate of heaven” through self-cultivation and moral practice, and bravely undertake the mission they understand. The exploration of the Confucian concept of destiny is helpful for a deep understanding of important propositions such as the relationship between heaven and man in Confucianism.

A Curious Case of Cultural Encounter: The Appropriation of Kant’s Philosophy through Contemporary Neo-Confucianism

Abstract In this paper, Mou Zongsan’s (牟宗三, 1909–1995 CE) Kantian interpretation of Confucianism will be surveyed with a focus on Mou’s ideas of moral metaphysics and autonomy. After a brief account of the development of Confucianism up to the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) and Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE) (§1) and some initial attempts to articulate Confucian ideas in terms of Western philosophy (§2), Mou’s Kantian interpretation of Confucianism will be presented in §3 and criticized in §4. It is argued that Mou uses the Kantian dichotomy of autonomy and heteronomy to describe the traditional rivalry between two primary schools of Neo-Confucianism. While Mou neglects Kant’s claim that the autonomy of the will gives the principle by means of which it is to determine the content of the moral law, he appeals to Kant’s idea that human beings as free agents are members of the intelligible world to propose a Confucian moral metaphysics. In §5, Mou’s Confucianism’s metaphysical and religious characteristics are further criticized.

Peircean and Confucian Interpretations of Self-Development: Semiotic, Normative, and Aesthetic Aspects

Peircean and Confucian Interpretations of Self-Development: Semiotic, Normative, and Aesthetic Aspects

Orientalism and Reverse Orientalism in the Interactions between Christianity and Confucianism: With Special Reference to the Problem of “Immanence vis-à-vis Transcendence”

Through making references to some inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural studies of “Transcendence” as well as the usage of the relevant terms in contemporary Confucianism and Christianity, especially the concepts of “transcendence” and “immanence” (which is translated sometimes as nèi zài in Chinese), this study attempts to challenge some of the prevalent stereotypes of Christianity and Confucianism. With special references to the historical and contemporary Christian-Confucian discourses related to the concepts of immanence and transcendence, this study argues that certain features of “orientalism” can be found in the Christian interpretations of Confucianism, especially their tendency of downplaying the transcendence in Confucianism in order to highlight that Christianity is the fulfillment of Confucianism. In contrast to the Christian interpretations, the Confucian interpretations tend to highlight the “transcendence” in Confucianism and ignore the “immanence” in Christianity. Certain “reverse orientalism” can be found at the Confucian interpretations of Christianity, especially their attempts at arguing for the superiority of Confucianism through articulating the contrast between “external transcendence” (wài zài chāo yuè) and “internal transcendence” (nèi zài chāo yuè). This study further argues that no matter whether it is orientalism or reverse orientalism, these stereotypes of the contrast between Christianity and Confucianism misinterpret not only the other’s tradition, but also one’s own, and thus hinder the communication between the two traditions.

A Nomadic Spirituality in the Dream of the Red Chamber: Seeking the Goddess in an Immanent Process

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.

Japanese Reinterpretations of Confucianism

This article aims to introduce the study of Itō Jinsai from the point of view of the value of his Confucian interpretations within the context of the project of Confucian ethics—in other words, trying to ascertain in what ways Jinsai’s project can help facilitate the study of Confucian ethics beyond the realm of intellectual history in the global context of the 21st century. It is imperative to allow Jinsai’s notions, as much as possible, to speak for themselves; but it is also of great importance to first place Jinsai within his own time and inside the intellectual space in which he formulated his ideas. A number of scholarly sources will be considered, with the intention of illuminating Jinsai’s work from a few different angles.

A Confucian Interpretation of Women’s Empowerment

ABSTRACT In this paper, I present a cultural interpretation of women’s empowerment by referring to a Confucian classic Neixun (Instructions for the Inner Quarters) that was written by Empress Xu. I explain that Empress Xu rejects the prevailing gender biases and practices concerning the low status and moral inferiority of women. She supports women’s empowerment in three aspects: the exercise of one’s agency, a more balanced approach to power relations, and the provision of essential means to effect change. I further argue that Empress Xu’s reading of women’s empowerment revolves around a Chinese belief in gender mutuality where men and women are moral equals despite performing different social roles. The Niexun underscores the importance of giving girls sufficient educational resources, mentoring and female role-modelling. Confucian perspectives on gender contribute to the existing literature on the diverse sociocultural understandings and application of women’s empowerment.

Beyond Mencius and Xunzi: A Third Approach to Confucianism

Abstract After Confucius died, his disciples formed the Eight Confucian Factions [rujia ba pai 儒家八派]. The most influential among them were the moral idealist school of Mencius 孟子, which proposed the doctrine of heart-mind and human nature [xinxing 心性], and the political idealist school of Xunzi 荀子, which posited a political interpretation of Confucianism. The Mencian approach emphasized the ethics of Confucianism, whereas the Xunzian approach focused on the political application of Confucianism. Their respective weaknesses have become evident in the present. It is hoped that we can overcome their shortcomings by integrating them and formulating a new approach to modern Confucianism that uses their advantages. However, modern Confucianism had made important contributions not only in its synthesis of Mencian and Xunzian thought but, more importantly, as it carries on the approach advocated by Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒. This involves not only examining the political applications of a particular kind of scholarship on the Chunqiu gongyang zhuan 春秋公羊傳 [The Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals] developed by Dong known as Gongyang scholarship [gongyang xue 公羊學] but also integrating the internal principles and politics of Confucianism. In theory, it requires an integration of the strengths of various schools to achieve a Confucian ideological system that embraces the Hundred Schools of Thought [zhuzi baijia 諸子百家]. In practice, it entails actual political application taken from a melting pot of the theoretical and political ambitions of Confucianism that is superior to the form of Confucianism that originated in the pre-Qin period [221 BCE] and other schools of thought and their successors.

Confucius and Langerian mindfulness

In this essay, I draw upon Ellen J. Langer’s notions of mindlessness and mindfulness to identify and delineate Confucius’ views on mindfulness. Langer’s theory exemplifies a social-cognitive approach to mindfulness which is a prominent orientation in the extant research. I argue that Confucius, like Langer, rejects mindlessness that is characterised by an over-reliance on automatic responses based on past knowledge and experiences. Furthermore, Confucius supports Langerian mindfulness by underlining the importance of a flexible mindset that is demonstrated through making novel distinctions, appreciating new perspectives and being sensitive to the context. But Confucius’ formulation of mindfulness goes beyond Langer’s by advocating the setting of one’s heart-mind on learning and the application of virtues. A Confucian interpretation of mindfulness debunks an East-West dichotomy on mindfulness and illustrates the harmonisation of the cognitive, affective, moral and social dimensions of mindfulness.

The Role of Mohism in Kang Youwei’s Arguments for His New-Text Theory of Confucianism

The thought of Kang Youwei 康有為, who is revered as one of the most important Confucian politicians of modern China, has received considerable attention in recent decades. While many studies are devoted to Kang’s theory of Confucianism and his political visions underlying the theory, what is generally overlooked is that, to a large extent, his arguments are built upon his understanding of Mohism. This article argues that Kang Youwei employs the Mozi 墨子 and early narratives about Mozi and Mohism to support his claims that Kongzi 孔子 authored the New-Text versions of the Five Classics, that he was a reformer of political institutions, and that he was a religious leader. By shedding light on Kang Youwei’s discussions of Mohism, this article offers a reconstruction of his argument and an alternative perspective for investigating his New-Text interpretation of Confucianism.

Students as partners practices and theorisations in Asia: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Engaging with students as partners (SaP) in learning and teaching is fundamental about quality learner-teacher relationships. It is a growing and contested arena of pedagogical practice that is dominated by western scholarship. Seeking to expand understanding of partnership approaches, we conducted a scoping review guided by the question: what is known from the current literature about SaP practices and theorisations in Asia? The review identified 18 studies with half published in the last two years and a high frequency of citations to a limited number of western scholars. This signals that partnership in Asia is in its infancy and influenced by western practices. Yet, Asian scholars raised distinct cultural considerations that positioned Confucianism as an obstacle to learner-teacher relationships through partnership praxis. We outline implications to guide future research into student-teacher relationships in Asia that evoke broader interpretations of Confucianism that are seemingly more compatible with partnership praxis.

Creolised Confucianism: Syncretism and Confucian revivalism at the turn of the twentieth century in Java

Confucian revivalism swept over China, the Straits Settlements and the Netherlands East Indies in the late nineteenth century. Rather than perceiving China as the single foundational centre for Confucian ideas, this article argues that pioneering Confucian revivalists who undertook to translate, interpret and spread Confucian knowledge in Java did not simply follow mainstream ideas that prevailed in China, or the lead of the Straits Settlements. Considered as the first Malay language translation of the ‘Great Learning’ and the ‘Doctrine of the Mean’, with accompanying commentaries, Yoe Tjai Siang and Tan Ging Tiong's Kitab Tai Hak–Tiong Iong (1900), contained an eclectic blend of Hokkien/Chinese, Malay, Javanese, Dutch/Christian and Arabic/Islamic concepts and vocabulary. Analysis of the translators’ aims and the work itself, shows that Java's peranakan Chinese initially developed a unique, creolised interpretation of Confucianism, while being connected to other reformers and revivalists in China and the Straits Settlements. As these connections and formal educational exchanges intensified, this creolised interpretation of Confucianism in Java would give way to a more orthodox version.

Confucianism and the Chinese Self: Re-examining Max Weber's China by Jack Barbalet (review)

Book Reviews 107© Max Weber Studies 2020. Jack Barbalet, Confucianism and the Chinese Self: Re-examining Max Weber’s China (Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), 213 pp. (hbk). ISBN 978-982-10-6288-9. €89.99. Jack Barbalet’s Confucianism and the Chinese Self is a fascinating contribution to the study of Max Weber, focusing on the latter’s book The Religion of China (RC). As a sequel to The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), RC was first published in 1915, then in augmented form in 1920. Its English translation, by Hans Gerth, appeared in 1951.42 Since then, the book has been talked about mostly in China study circles. Barbalet’s is a recent effort by a sociologist who is an authority on Weber. Barbalet tells his readers in the Preface that the book is written ‘to Weber not Confucius’ (viii). ‘Much of what is written ’, Barbalet remarks at the book’s conclusion, is ‘in disagreement with Weber, and yet, the disagreement was in conversation with his rich, detailed, and extensive texts’ (203). In this book-length dialogue with Weber, Barbalet goes back to Weber’s texts, methods, and sources to demonstrate Weber’s insights, and more often, what Weber has missed, disregarded, and misinterpreted for his own purposes. Barbalet’s comments are rich, careful, measured, and consistent, reflecting impressive in-depth knowledge of both Weber and China. After a brief introductory chapter, the book starts with RC’s German context (Chapter 2). Here Barbalet sets the analytic framework for subsequent chapters on two basic points. First, Weber’s sources came primarily from Jesuit missionaries who were in China during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (25, 61–64). Thus Weber’s ‘representation of Confucianism is in many ways an invention of European sinology and betrays the latter’s missionary roots’ (24). Second, the German colonial expansion and Weber’s endorsement of it (18-21) shaped Weber’s interpretation of Confucianism. In Barbalet’s words, ‘Weber’s image of China as backward and dominated by traditional or non-rational thought systems is consistent with the missionary and German imperialist mentality’ (43). This is followed by two substantive chapters devoted to Weber’s interpretation of the religions of China: Confucianism (Chapter 3) and Daoism (Chapter 4). Here Barbalet explains how the Jesuit construction of Confucianism led Weber to be focused exclusively on classical Confucianism, which blinded him from recognizing the significance 42. Max Weber, The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, trans. Hans Gerth (New York: Free Press, 1951). 108 Max Weber Studies© Max Weber Studies 2020. of neo-Confucianism—a major development of Confucianist doctrines led by Zhu Xi (1130–1200 ce) in the Song Dynasty (64). As a consequence of this omission, Barbalet notes, Weber also ignored an ongoing revolutionary transformation in China. In Barbalet’s words, Weber totally failed to ‘appreciate the dynamic elements in Confucianism ’ (74). Similarly, Barbalet points out that Weber was mistaken in his interpretation of Daoism (Chapter 4). In the discussion of Chinese religions, Barbalet shows his witty sensibility by noting that the ‘New Culture Movement’ intellectuals, who were active in China between 1913 and 1917, actually shared Weber’s perspective in attributing China’s backwardness to Confucian traditionalism (54). Another two chapters are devoted to specific notions that Weber used in RC, self-interest (Chapter 5) and magic (Chapter 6). Barbalet notes that while Weber’s sociology of religion was based on individualism , i.e., the ‘lesser self’, in China, it was the ‘greater self’ (106) or ‘relational self’ (136) that provided the motivation in the Chinese economy . Thus, according to Barbalet, ‘It cannot reasonably be said, therefore , that the concept of self-interest is absent in traditional China’ (124). He also argues that Weber ‘exaggerate[d] the acceptance of magic in Chinese society’ (176) and mistakenly ascribed a ‘religious’ significance to those elements of magical practice he perceived. ‘Those things that Weber describes as Chinese magic […] have no meaningful religious connotation or value’ (175). The concluding chapter (Chapter 7) connects Weber’s RC and China ’s more recent history. As Barbalet observes, ‘at the time that Weber first published [RC] in 1915, and certainly by the time of the augmented...

吳澄의 『道德眞經注』에 나타난 ‘以儒解老’의 해석경향과 그 철학적 특징

본 논문은 元代의 저명한 유학자 오징이 남긴 『도덕진경주』에 대한 연구다. 『도덕진경주』는 유학자의 관점에서 접근한 『노자』 주석서가 되는데, 논자는 이 문헌자료에 대한 분석을 통해 다음과 같은 ‘이유해노’의 해석경향을 찾아볼 수 있었다.BR 첫째, 오징은 주희의 ‘리일분수설’을 차용하여 ‘도일분수’의 우주론을 제시한다. 그는 우선 노자의 ‘도’를 ‘상도’와 ‘가도’로 구분하고, ‘가도’에 ‘길’ 및 ‘由’의 의미를 부여한다. ‘가도’의 이러한 성격을 통해 ‘상도’는 구체적 현상 사물로 드러날 수 있게 되는데, 그 구체적 과정은 ‘도 → 충허일기 → 음양 → 만물’로 표현되는 ‘도일분수론’이다. 오징은 이러한 ‘도일분수론’을 다시 노자와 공자의 관계에 적용시켜 노자의 도와 공자의 도를 하나로 회통시킨다.BR 둘째, 오징은 육구연의 心學을 차용하여 주관 유심론적 인식론을 제시한다. 오징은 육구연이 말한 ‘萬物皆備於我’의 관점을 인식 문제에 적용시켜, 내 마음을 內觀하면 될 뿐 굳이 세상 밖으로 나가 개별 사물들을 하나하나 살펴볼 필요가 없다고 주장한다. 나아가 그는 이것을 ‘무위론’에도 적용시켜, 내 마음만 잡고 있으면 개별적인 일들에 일일이 신경쓰지 않아도 모든 일이 다 이루어질 수 있다고 말한다.BR 『도덕진경주』에 나타나는 이러한 해석은 오징의 독특한 사상적 입장, 즉 朱陸和會論者의 면모를 반영하는 것으로 볼 수 있다.