Confucian View Research Articles

Academic Discourse of Chinese Philosophy and 21st Century China Studies—The Case of Confucian Views on War of Revenge

Academic Discourse of Chinese Philosophy and 21st Century China Studies—The Case of Confucian Views on War of Revenge

Sungmoon Kim’s Democracy After Virtue

Sungmoon Kim’s <i>Democracy After Virtue</i>

Who Would the Person Be after a Head Transplant? A Confucian Reflection.

This essay draws on classical Confucian intellectual resources to argue that the person who emerges from a head transplant would be neither the person who provided the head, nor the person who provided the body, but a new, different person. We construct two types of argument to support this conclusion: one is based on the classical Confucian metaphysics of human life as qi activity; the other is grounded in the Confucian view of personal identity as being inseparable from one’s familial relations. These Confucian ideas provide a reasonable alternative to the currently dominant view that one’s personal identity “follows” one’s head. Together, these arguments imply that head transplantation is ethically inappropriate.

Moral Virtue and Inclusive Happiness: From Ancient to Recent in Western and Confucian Traditions

What is the relationship between moral virtue and happiness? Does having moral virtues make their possessors happy? Can one be happy without them? Philosophers provide diverging answers to these questions due to their different understandings of the concept of happiness which has multifarious meanings and senses. In this essay, I compare the representative Western theories of happiness with what may be called “a classical Confucian view” informed by recent scholarship on classical Confucianism. I argue that for classical Confucian philosophers, especially Confucius and Mencius, there are two kinds of happiness: exclusive (or unshared) and inclusive (or shared) happiness. I conclude that moral virtue is necessary for inclusive happiness shared by the virtuous and the recipients of their virtuous actions and/or policies.

Private girls’ Schools in Modern Korea (1876-1945): Cho Dong-sik, women’s education and changing conceptions of the ‘Wise Mother, Good Wife’

ABSTRACT This article discusses women’s education in Modern Korea (1876–1945) by focusing on Cho Dong-Sik (趙東植, 1887–1969), the founder of Tongwŏn Girls’ School (Tongwŏnŭisuk, 東媛義塾) in 1908. When this school merged with Tongdŏk Girls’ School (Tongdŏkyŏhakgyo, 同德女學校) in the following year, he took over the latter’s management and devoted himself to women’s education until his death. Cho Dong-Sik devoted his life to women’s education with a firm belief in education and striving to do what he believed to be the best of his capacity. His concept of women’s education reflected the concept of innate gender equality rather than the gendered hierarchal view of Confucianism in the traditional era. His early ideas on women’s education reflected a Confucian notion of ‘Wise Mother, Good Wife’, but they gradually evolved into a more nationalistic version of the idea.

Covid-19 and Perceptions of Religious Leaders; Hindu and Confucian views of East Java

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Covid-19 pandemic is a virus outbreak that has infested almost all countries in the world, its impact is felt in various fields, economic, social, cultural, political and religious. This study attempts to see more fully the opinions of religious leaders and Confucian and Hindu youths on the existence of Covid-19, by using a qualitative approach and interview techniques as a model for extracting data in the field. From the results of the study that has been carried out there are several things that can be concluded, firstly that both Confucian and Hindu religious figures and youths believe that Coovid-19 is a real thing that must be watched out together, secondly, in connection with the existence of Covid-19, it is necessary to jointly- the same to implement the health protocol rules that have been established by the government, third, theologically that in Hinduism a pandemic condition like this could happen if Tri Hita Karana does not work well&lt;/p&gt;

COMPARING THE POLITICAL TRUST AND CIVIC POLITICAL CULTURE OF DEMOCRACY OR AUTHORITARIAN IN ASIAN COUNTRIES

The political trust of the people is essential for the consolidation of the regime, but it has not been discussed whether the democratic or authoritarian system is more consolidated. This article uses the Asian Democracy Dynamics Survey of 2010 to divide 11 countries into the system of democracy, excessive democracy and autocracy, and autocracy according to the Polity IV index. It will test the people’s political trust in these three different political systems, and try to explain the differences from the "cultural perspective" and "citizen classification." The cultural perspective is divided into authoritarianism, traditionalism, collectivism, and Confucian which belongs to the specific political culture in Asia. This paper created the concept of "accepted and rejected" citizenship. Studies have found that the more authoritarian the country, the higher the trust of the people, and it’s not easy to change the original regime. In addition to the traditional view, those who do hold culturally authoritative, collective, and Confucian views have high political trust and trust the government to take full responsibility. People have a higher degree of trust in their government, which is the hidden reason that may cause the authoritarian or transitional regime to fail to transform into a democratic regime.

Motisták és konfuciánusok vitatémiái az ókori Kínában I.

A kínai filozófiatörténetben közismert ténynek számít, hogy az i. e. V–IV. században a konfuciánusok és a motisták szemben álltak egymással. A két irányzat képviselőinek disputáiról összesen háromtípusú forrás tudósít: 1. A külső források, amelyek a két irányzat vitáiról külső szemlélőként tudósítanak. 2. A konfuciánus források, amelyek leginkább a motizmussal szembeni konfuciánus kritikákat tartalmazzák. 3. A motista források, amelyek hasonlóképpen elsősorban a konfuciánus nézetek motista kritikáit részletezik. Jelen tanulmányban az első és a második kategóriák vizsgálatára kerül sor.

Introduction to Confucian Psychology: Background, Content, and an Agenda for the Future

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.

A Confucian Defense of Shame: Morality, Self-Cultivation, and the Dangers of Shamelessness

Many philosophers and scholars in the West have a negative view of shame. In much of post-classical Western ethical thought, shame is compared negatively with guilt, as shame is associated with the “outer”, how one appears before others (and thus is merely a matter of “face”), and guilt is associated with the “inner” realm of the conscience and soul. Anthropologists and philosophers have used this framework to distinguish more morally evolved Western “guilt cultures” from Asian “shame cultures”. Many psychologists also have a negative view of shame, seeing it as damaging to the self and “devastating in its consequences”. In this paper, I argue that the understandings of shame found in these philosophers and psychologists are misguided, and that their flaws can be revealed by looking at the understanding of shame in the classical Confucian tradition. In response to philosophers who see shame as a “lesser” moral emotion than guilt, Confucius (孔子 Kongzi) and Mencius (孟子 Mengzi) will articulate an understanding of shame that has a deeply internal dimension and is more essential in the process of moral cultivation than guilt. In response to the psychologists who warn about the harm of shame, the Confucians will help us distinguish between moral and pathological shame, showing us why the latter is harmful, but the former is something that no moral person can be without. I will show that the Confucian perspective on shame and guilt is profoundly relevant to the historical moment we are living in (particularly the years of the Trump Administration), and that the Confucian view demonstrates that there is something much worse, and far more devastating, than shame in its consequences—shamelessness.

Confucianism and the Education of Young People’s Outlook on Life

The outlook on life is an important part of the “three outlooks” of young people and is of great importance to them. Many Confucian views such as life purpose, life ideals, human attitudes, life values, etc. should have a lot to teach today’s youth about life.

사서와 유교의 생태계관

본 논문 목적은 현대 생태계 위기 상황을 극복하기 위해 유학의 핵심경전인 사서(四書, 대학, 맹자, 논어, 중용)를 기반으로 유교의 생태학적 세계관을 탐구하는 것이다. 현대인은 급속한 경제 및 과학 발전을 이루었으나 이는 생태학적 위기를 초래하는 환경의 훼손을 가져왔다. 그런 의미에서 우리는 생태 친화적인 세계관의 창조와 전환에 대한 현대적 필요성에 응대할 수 있는 사서(the Four Books)의 유교 전통을 살펴볼 필요가 있다. 유교 전통을 통해 환경적 이슈를 탐구하는 가운데, 연구자는 두 가지 이유로 사서를 선정한다. 첫째, 유학자들은 사서를 핵심 경전(canonical books)으로 삼고 둘째, 그들은 생태 위기와 같은 무질서한 상황 시, 이 경전을 활용하여 그 해결점을 찾고자 한다. 이런 맥락에서, 사서의 가르침은 현재의 생태 위기를 극복할 수 있는 하나의 적절한 방법이자 그 기반을 구축하는 데 필요한 생태학적 윤리 개요를 제시할 것으로 사료된다. 본 연구에서는 사서를 유학의 핵심 경전을 삼은 중국 남송의 유학자인 주희(1130-1200)의 사상을 기초로 유교의 생태학적 측면을 모색할 것이다. 사서에 비추어, 연구자는 다음과 같은 순서로 진행한다. 첫째, 유교사상가들이 사용하는 언어가 어떻게 생태 친화적인 은유를 제시하는지 찾아보고 둘째, 하늘의 길과 관련된 유교의 유기적 우주론을 탐구하고 셋째, 인간과 생태계의 관계성을 알아보고 넷째, 인간이 추구해야 하는 완벽한 모델인 현자의 개념을 모색한다. 본 연구 결과, 사서는 현대인을 생태학적으로 의식적인 삶으로 살게 하면서 사람과 우리 자연 사이의 조화와 사랑에 대한 지침을 제공하는 데 크게 기여하리라 본다.

Losing Face

Notions of “face” play a central role in traditional East Asian ethics and, in particular, in Confucian views about the self and its cultivation. Awareness of and attention to face is central to self-reflection and evaluation and, when properly employed, motivate one to continue to strive to improve oneself morally. Today, the Chinese Communist Party seeks to monitor and control its population by means of an extensive system of surveillance that is increasingly controlled by artificial intelligence programs. This not only undermines traditional conceptions of face but ultimately the role and ability of the party to set and enforce its own view of what Chinese citizens should seek and pursue.

코로나19에 대응하는 유학적 가족관(家族觀) 재인(再認) 연구

이 글의 목표는 코로나19에 대응하기 위한 유학적 가족관의 재인을 제언하는 데 있다. 이는 가족 구성원 간 관계 개선을 도모하는 데 이바지하려는 의도이다. 최근, 우리나라를 포함한 다수의 국가가 호흡기 전염 질환인 코로나19에 위협을 받고 있다. 정부는 전염 질환에 대한 방역 수단으로 ‘사회적 거리 두기’를 권장하며 가정에 머무르라고 하였다. 그런데 근간에 현대사회 가정의 순기능이 약화한 것이 사회문제로 인식되어왔다. 가족이 함께 있는 시간이 늘면 행복감이 상승하는 순기능도 있지만, 다른 한편으로는 개인주의적인 생활에 익숙해져 있다가 예정 없이 가정에서 머무르는 상황에 대하여 가족 구성원 간 불화가 발생할 수 있다. 따라서 이 글은 가족의 불화에 관한 우려로 시작하여 가족의 관계 향상을 위한 유학적 논의로 특정하였다. 이 글이 재인하려는 유학적 가족관의 일상성은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 仁사상의 실천이다. 공자는 자기를 이기고 예를 회복하는 것이 인(克己復禮爲仁)이라고 하였다. 仁이 가정 안에서 어우러진다면 가족 구성원 간 의견이 다르다는 이유로 상처를 내지 않을 것이다. 둘째, 마음공부를 통한 수신(修身)이 선행된 후 제가(齊家)를 하여야 한다. 수신 없이 제가부터 하는 것은 가족 구성원의 저항에 부딪힐 개연성이 있다. 셋째, 각 가정의 상황에 계합(契合)하는 중용(中庸)적 삶이 화해(和諧)하여 가정 내에서 수직적 수평적으로 어우러져야 할 것이다. 각 가정에 계합한 수신제가를 지속적·반복적으로 실천하면 훈습이 되고 훈습 과정을 거치면 가족 규칙으로 자리 잡을 수 있으며 그것은 일상성이 될 것이다.

Music with and Without Images

Ji Kang’s 嵇康 argument against the presence of emotions in music in “Sound Has Neither Sorrow nor Joy” (sheng wu ai le lun 聲無哀 樂論) relies centrally on his claim that harmonious sounds are “without image” (wu xiang 無象). In contrast, the Ru 儒(Confucian) view of music is that it transmits images and emotions between musicians and listeners, which provides the basis for the musical cultivation of virtue (de 德). In this paper, I provide a reading of Ji Kang’s argument that elucidates key differences between music with and without images, and offer an analysis of these differences in terms of intransitive musical meaning.

4.5 Being-in-Relationship: A Dialogue between Karl Rahner and Confucian Views on the Human Person

4.5 Being-in-Relationship: A Dialogue between Karl Rahner and Confucian Views on the Human Person

“五倫”並不排斥契約

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.Professor Fan Ruiping proposed that in the Confucian view, the basis of the family relationship is family affection rather than a contract. This judgment of the Confucian family view is based on a comparative perspective on civilization. However, not only husband and wife, but also monarch and minister, were established on the basis of the contract. Although Confucianism lacks the strong utilitarian intention of Western utilitarians, it is not without the contractual consciousness of equality and mutual benefit.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 3 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

О статье Ху Ши «Читая “Чуские строфы”»

The paper presents an attempt to analyze Hu Shi's “Reading the Verses of Chu” which is considered one of the basic theoretic works for the “discussion on rejecting the historicity of Qu Yuan”. It spread in the first decades following the formation of the Republic of China (1911–1945) and gave birth to the to the estimation that the famous chuci (verses of Chu) poetic tradition, was firmly considered in the course of the previous centuries to be originated by the creative activities of Qu Yuan (4th – 3rd century BC), a stateman of the ancient Chinese Chu Kingdom (11th – 3rd century BC), derived in fact from an ancient anonymous cantos. It is widely considered nowadays that it was precisely Hu Shi who first stated the fictionality of Qu Yuan. However, close reading of the work shows that its content is not limited to discussing this issue. Recognizing the possibility of the existence of such a Chu poet and his authorship of a number of poetic pieces attributed to him, Hu Shi called for the abandonment of the formulaic interpretations of Qu Yuan’s image and the chuci poetry, which arouse on the basis of further legends about Chu and being under the influence of Confucian views on literary activities and personally on Qu Yuan. Thus, Hu Shi outlined a fundamentally new methodological approach to the study of the verses of Chu, which was based on examining the texts as well as their historical and cultural context. This is his true theoretical contribution to the Chinese humanities of the 20th century.

The Boundary of Famine Relief Policy in Han dynasty : Focused on the Frontier and Inner Commandery

In this essay, I tried to describe the process that the natural disasters and the state-running famine relief policy promoted the dual control system of Han empire. In doing so, I hoped to highlight the historical characteristics of Han Empire’s “contact zone”. At first, Han dynasty’s climate change was examined. From the former Han period, the average temperature has begun to drop, but the pattern of climate change took on a complex form. It became one of the causes of frequent natural disasters of Han times. And the cold weather caused great damage to the nomads of the frontier. Secondly, We saw that the natural disasters were one of the main factors that promoted dual operation of a commandery system of Han. The distinction between the inner commanderies and the frontier commanderies emerged from the state running relief policy against the famine disaster. The discriminatory relief policies have contributed to the creation of Chinese and non-Chinese ideas, to the Han chinese, the word ‘China’ meant only inner commanderies. The confucian intellectuals argued that in the event of a natural disaster, ‘the Chinese = the internal commanderies’ should be aided first and the frontier area should then be considered. This ideology was justified by the discriminatory view of Confucianism. The spread of Confucian ideology and the deterioration of the environment in the wake of the disaster seemed to have facilitated the dual operation of the empire. Third, I tried to describe the process that, since the latter half of former Han, the state affairs have been transformed into a more focused on inner chinese relief policy, rather than a frontline commandery. These changes were symbolized by the abolition of Zhu-ya-jun(珠崖 郡), the commandery in the Hainan island, long distance island from the capital, and the chang-ping-cang (常平倉), the grain warehouse in frontline. These things were happened in the early days of the emperor Won(元帝) regime. Since then, the state running relief policies had been confined to the inner counties. Approximately 72 disasters occurred during the 101 years - the latter half of former Han and the Xin times, about 30 of which were aided by the imperial government, and only two of them were occurred at frontline commandery. This limitation of the government relief policy to the inner commandery shows the Han empire’s dual control system of frontier and inner commandery.

Paintings of the Four Sages of the Joseon Dynasty, for Moral Instruction about Confucian View of Taking and Leaving Government Posts

Paintings of the Four Sages of the Joseon Dynasty, for Moral Instruction about Confucian View of Taking and Leaving Government Posts