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Is Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics Susceptible to the Problem of Alienation?

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Abstract

In this essay I argue that if Kantian and consequentialist ethical theories are vulnerable to the so-called “problem of alienation,” a virtue ethics based on Xunzi’s ethical writings will also be vulnerable to this problem. I outline the problem of alienation, and then show that the role of ritual (li) in Xunzi’s theory renders his view susceptible to the problem as it has been traditionally understood. I consider some replies on Xunzi’s behalf, and also discuss whether the problem affects other Confucian and eudaimonian approaches to virtue ethics. I close by considering some solutions to the problem and the affect that this result has on the argumentative dialectic between the three major ethical traditions.

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  1. Department of Philosophy, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, 01075, USA

    James Harold

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  1. James Harold
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Correspondence to James Harold.

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Harold, J. Is Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics Susceptible to the Problem of Alienation?. Dao 10, 71–84 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-010-9201-2

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