Neo-Confucianism is a philosophically sophisticated tradition weaving classical Confucianism together with themes from Buddhism and Daoism. It began in China around the eleventh century CE, played a leading role in East Asian cultures over the last millennium, and has had a profound influence on modern Chinese society. -/- Based on the latest scholarship but presented in accessible language, Neo-Confucianism: A Philosophical Introduction is organized around themes that are central in Neo-Confucian philosophy, including the structure of the cosmos, human nature, ways (...) of knowing, personal cultivation, and approaches to governance. The authors thus accomplish two things at once: they present the Neo-Confucians in their own, distinctive terms; and they enable contemporary readers to grasp what is at stake in the great Neo-Confucian debates. (shrink)

Where does Neo-Confucianismâe"a movement that from the twelfth to the seventeenth centuries profoundly influenced the way people understood the world and responded to itâe"fit into our story of Chinaâe(tm)s history? This interpretive, at times polemical, inquiry into the Neo-Confucian engagement with the literati as the social and political elite, local society, and the imperial state during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties is also a reflection on the role of the middle period in Chinaâe(tm)s history. The book argues that as (...) Neo-Confucians put their philosophy of learning into practice in local society, they justified a new social ideal in which society at the local level was led by the literati with state recognition and support. The later imperial order, in which the state accepted local elite leadership as necessary to its own existence, survived even after Neo-Confucianism lost its hold on the center of intellectual culture in the seventeenth century but continued as the foundation of local education. It is the contention of this book that Neo-Confucianism made that order possible. (shrink)

This article examines whether and to what extent Confucianism as a resilient Chinese cultural tradition can be used as a sound basis of business practice and management model for Chinese corporations in the twenty-first century. Using the core elements of Confucianism, the article constructs a notion of a Confucian Firm with its concepts of the moral person ( Junzi ), core human morality ( ren, yi, li ) and relationships ( guanxi ), as well as benign social structure (harmony), articulated (...) in corporate and organizational terms. The basic character of the Confucian Firm is described, and its philosophical and cultural foundation is critically assessed with respect to its moral legitimacy and relevant to today’s China. China’s recent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) development is a high profile response to global business ethics concerns. Efforts have been made to emulate and develop good business practice fashioned in CSR norms and visions. The so-called “human-based” and “virtue-based” business practices rooted in local cultural heritage have been touted as a Chinese response to this problem. This investigation is particularly relevant in the context of the increasingly prominence of the Chinese corporations (China Inc.) in the wake of the rise of China as a global power. How relevant is Confucianism to the building of a modern Chinese corporation that is willing and able to practice reasonable norms of business ethics? The findings of this discussion, which include the organizational implications of the Confucian familial collectivism, have implications for other Chinese communities (Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore) where Confucian tradition is endorsed and practiced. (shrink)

"Confucianism" presents the history and salient tenets of Confucian thought, and discusses its viability, from both a social and a philosophical point of view, in the modern world. Despite most of the major Confucian texts having been translated into English, there remains a surprising lack of straightforward textbooks on Confucian philosophy in any Western language. Those that do exist are often oriented from the point of view of Western philosophy - or, worse, a peculiar school of thought within Western philosophy (...) - and advance correspondingly skewed interpretations of Confucianism. This book seeks to rectify this situation. It guides readers through the philosophies of the three major classical Confucians: Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi, and concludes with an overview of later Confucian revivals and the standing of Confucianism today. (shrink)

"Confucianism" presents the history and salient tenets of Confucian thought, and discusses its viability, from both a social and a philosophical point of view, in the modern world. Despite most of the major Confucian texts having been translated into English, there remains a surprising lack of straightforward textbooks on Confucian philosophy in any Western language. Those that do exist are often oriented from the point of view of Western philosophy - or, worse, a peculiar school of thought within Western philosophy (...) - and advance correspondingly skewed interpretations of Confucianism. This book seeks to rectify this situation. It guides readers through the philosophies of the three major classical Confucians: Confucius , Mencius and Xunzi , and concludes with an overview of later Confucian revivals and the standing of Confucianism today. (shrink)

Through the 1980s Confucian studies in the United States tended to present Confucianism as compatible with liberal democratic values. Since the 1990s, after the rise of China as a global power, Confucianism is increasingly defended as a political alternative to liberal and democratic values. This essay argues that Confucianism is not compatible with liberal democratic values, and that the rise of political Confucianism opposed to liberal democracy is a return to a more authentic Confucianism. Furthermore, it is argued that the (...) defense of this undemocratic and illiberal Confucianism in the West, notably by Stephen C. Angle and Daniel A. Bell, reflects and reveals the precarious state of democracy in our present historical moment. (shrink)

In this highly original work, Mathew A. Foust breaks new ground in comparative studies through his exploration of the connections between Confucianism and the American Transcendentalist and Pragmatist movements. In his examination of a broad range of philosophers, including Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Charles Peirce, William James, and Josiah Royce, Foust traces direct lines of influence from early translations of Confucian texts and brings to light conceptual affinities that have been previously overlooked. Combining resources from (...) both traditions, Confucianism and American Philosophy offers fresh insights into contemporary problems and exemplifies the potential of cross-cultural dialogue in an increasingly pluralistic world. (shrink)

Confucian scholars should satisfy two conditions insofar as they think their theories enable Confucianism to make contributions to liberal politics and social policy. The liberal accommodation condition stipulates that the theory in question should accommodate as many reasonable conceptions of the good and religious doctrines as possible while the intelligibility condition stipulates that the theory must have a recognizable Confucian character. By and large, Joseph Chan’s Confucian perfectionism is able to satisfy the above two conditions. However, contrary to Chan and (...) many other Confucian scholars, I argue that any active promotion of Confucianism will violate the liberal accommodation condition. I propose the “wide view of moderate perfectionism,” which enables Confucianism to shed light on a wide range of political and social issues without promoting Confucianism actively. Thus, I present a new approach to the long-standing question of how Confucianism may improve political and social development in a liberal society. (shrink)

Why should I take care of my aging parents? How far will morality require me to sacrifice for this cause? I will study these questions from the perspectives of Confucianism and rule‐consequentialism. Confucians believe that the continuity of families and the interactions between members of different generations can enhance the integrity of society in the long run. However, since Confucianism may impose extreme demands on its followers, this theory may be problematic. In this paper, I argue that despite its demands, (...) the Confucian doctrines are defensible and are worth upholding. To explain my view, I draw upon rule‐consequentialism and explain how the rule‐consequentialist analysis complements and enhances the Confucian claims. I believe that the consequentialist conception of Confucianism can provide a useful resource for responding to the moral challenge of population aging in the current state of the world. (shrink)

Indeed, nearly one quarter of the world's population has been influenced by Confucianism in some way, especially in family structures and values. The challenge, as Tu Weiming suggests, is to ensure the continuance of tradition in modernity, thereby achieving an effective counterpoint to the destruction of both human communities and the Earth community.

Confucianism conceives of persons as being necessarily interdependent, defining personhood in terms of the various roles one embodies and that are established by the relationships basic to one's life. By way of contrast, the Western philosophical tradition has predominantly defined persons in terms of intrinsic characteristics not thought to depend on others. This more strictly and explicitly individualistic concept of personhood contrasts with the Confucian idea that one becomes a person because of others; where one is never a person independently (...) or in and of oneself but develops into one only in community. This article surveys some differences between Confucian and Western ideas of self and their connection to ethics mainly in light of the relational self of the Confucian Analects and Mencius . A Philosophy Compass article called Confucianism and Ethics in the Western Philosophical Tradition II: A Comparative Analysis of Personhood will follow, that examines how the more individualistic way of conceiving of personhood in the West has had moral and political implications that differ, and even conflict, with those of Confucianism. (shrink)

In recent years, Philosophy Departments at universities in China and worldwide have experienced a renaissance in discussion on Confucian thought. As the country draws from indigenous traditions, rather than leaning completely on the importation of Western liberalism and Marxism, Confucianism has critical implications for politics, ethics, and law in modern China. At the same time, democracy never left the conversation. Democratic concepts cannot be ignored and must be disposed of, acknowledged, or incorporated. The relationship between Confucianism and democracy has been (...) described by various authors as one of conflict, critique, compatibility, and hybridity. In this article, we examine a compatibility model, in which compatibility between Confucianism and democracy can be divided into four types: soft, hard, coexistence, and integration. We examine compatibility by examining “what is compatible” and “how compatibility can be achieved” so as to design speculative models for what a contemporary Confucian government would look like. Our focus is mainly political philosophy in order to explain the effect of cross-pollination of Confucian and democratic thought on political society. (shrink)

ONE INTRODUCTION: NEO-CONFUCIANISM AND TOKUGAWA DISCOURSE BY PETER NOSCO Modern scholarship on the intellectual history of the Tokugawa period ...

Well-being is topic of perennial concern. It has been of significant interest to scholars across disciplines, culture, and time. But like morality, conceptions of well-being are deeply shaped and influenced by one's particular social and cultural context. We ought to pursue, therefore, a cross-cultural understanding of well-being and moral psychology by taking seriously reflections from a variety of moral traditions. This book develops a Confucian account of well-being, considering contemporary accounts of ethics and virtue in light of early Confucian thought (...) and philosophy. Its distinctive approach lies in the integration of Confucian moral philosophy, contemporary empirical psychology, and contemporary philosophical accounts of well-being. Richard Kim organizes the book around four main areas: the conception of virtues in early Confucianism and the way that they advance both individual and communal well-being; the role of Confucian ritual practices in familial and communal ties; the developmental structure of human life and its culmination in the achievement of sagehood; and the sense of joy that the early Confucians believed was central to the virtuous and happy life. (shrink)

I propose that Confucianism incorporates a latent commitment to the closely related epistemic virtues of curiosity and inquisitiveness. Confucian praise of certain people, practices, and dispositions is only fully intelligible if these are seen as exercises and expressions of epistemic virtues, of which curiosity and inquisitiveness are the obvious candidates. My strategy is to take two core components of Confucian ethical and educational practice and argue that each presupposes a specific virtue. To have and to express a ‘love of learning’ (...) requires the virtue of curiosity, while the normative practice of good questioning requires exercise of the virtue of inquisitiveness. Taken together, people engaging in the foundational Confucian project of moral self-cultivation must desire and acquire a range of epistemic goods, a set of dispositions that manifest in the virtues of curiosity and inquisitiveness, possession of which is admirable and excellent. Such, at least, is the claim defend in this chapter, which is an exercise in cross-cultural virtue epistemology. (shrink)

Confucianism has made a comeback in mainland China over the last two decades or so. Politically minded Confucian revivalists see Confucianism as the core of national identity that differs from “foreign” traditions such as liberalism and they argue for replacing Marxism with Confucianism as the core ideology of the one-party state. But is the ancient tradition of Confucianism compatible with the modern tradition of nationalism? And is it possible to defend a morally appealing form of “Confucian nationalism”? This essay argues (...) that both questions can be answered affirmatively. (shrink)

One of the most high-profile debates in Chinese philosophy concerns the compatibility of human and individual rights with basic Confucian doctrines and practices. Defenders of the incompatibilist view argue that rights are inconsistent with Confucianism because rights are (necessarily) role-independent obligations and entitlements, whereas Confucians think that all obligations and entitlements are role-dependent. Two other arguments have to do with the practice of claiming one's own rights, holding (a) that claiming one's rights undercuts family-like community bonds and (b) that giving (...) everyone license to claim her own rights is incompatible with certain hierarchical social structures that Confucians value. In this essay, I show that these arguments are too crudely formulated to identify the real points of contention with rights compatibilism, and then develop versions of two of the arguments which, when properly qualified, pose a more serious challenge for those who think rights and a license to claim one's own rights are consistent with core Confucian views. (shrink)

It is often supposed that Confucianism is opposed to the idea of equality insofar as the key ideals to which it is committed, such as meritocracy and li , are incompatible with equality. Sympathetic commentators typically defend Confucianism by saying that (a) the Confucian person is not a free-standing individual but a social being embedded in a social structure with different and unequal roles, and (b) social inequality has to be traded in for other values. This paper argues that in (...) advocating meritocracy, Confucianism does not abandon the idea of equality. Indeed, invoking Aristotle's account of equality in the Nicomachean Ethics , it can be argued that the unequal distribution of rights and benefits reflects one aspect of equality, namely the vertical aspect, or the unequal treatment of unequals. (shrink)

Using a sample of 12,061 firm-year observations from the Chinese stock market for the period of 2001–2011 and geographic-proximity-based Confucianism variables, this study provides strong evidence that Confucianism is significantly negatively associated with minority shareholder expropriation, implying that Confucianism does mitigate agency conflicts between the controlling shareholder and minority shareholders. This finding suggests that Confucianism has important influence on business ethics, and thus can serve as an important ethical philosophy or social norm to mitigate the controlling shareholder’s unethical expropriation behavior. (...) Moreover, my findings reveal that the nature of the ultimate owner attenuates the negative association between Confucianism and minority shareholder expropriation, suggesting that Confucianism’s negative impact on minority shareholder expropriation is less pronounced for state-owned enterprises than for non-state-owned enterprises. The above results are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests and my findings are valid after controlling for the potential endogeneity between Confucianism and minority shareholder expropriation. (shrink)

While Confucian ideals continue to inspire thinkers and political actors, discussions of concrete Confucian practices and institutions appropriate for the modern era have been conspicuously absent from the literature thus far. This volume represents the most cutting edge effort to spell out in meticulous detail the relevance of Confucianism for the contemporary world. The contributors to this book - internationally renowned philosophers, lawyers, historians, and social scientists - argue for feasible and desirable Confucian policies and institutions as they attempt to (...) draw out the political, economic, and legal implications of Confucianism for the modern world. The book is divided in three parts that correspond to the basic hallmarks of modernity as a social and political system - democracy, capitalism, and the rule of law. (shrink)

주자학의 리 개념은 이해하기가 쉽지 않다. 그 때문에 지금까지 다양한 번역어가 제시 되어 왔다. 한국학계에서는 보통 ‘이치’로, 서양학계에서는 ‘질서’나 ‘패턴’ 등으로 번역되었 다. 이에 대해 윌러드 피터슨은 1986년에 쓴 ｢리에 대한 새로운 시각｣에서 ‘coherence’라 는 번역어를 제시하였다. 그 후, 피터 볼, 스테판 앵글, 브룩 지포린 등이 피터슨의 번역어 를 채택하였다. 본 논문에서는 이들의 견해를 지지하면서, ‘coherence’의 한글 번역어로 ‘어우러짐’을 사용하였다. 이들의 견해를 참고하면, 주자학에서의 리는 ‘사물이 가치 있는 방식으로 어우러져 있 는 상태”로 정의될 수 있다. 가령 의자는 인간이 앉을 수 (...) 있다는 가치를 창출하는 형태를 유지하고 있을 때 “의자로서의 리가 있다[有理]’고 주희는 말한다. 반대로 의자의 다리가 부러져서 앉을 수 없게 되면 ‘의자로서의 리를 잃었다[失理]”고 말한다. 여기서 ‘실리失理’ 는 의자 자체의 ‘어우러짐’혹은 조화가 깨져서 의자와 인간 사이의 ‘어우러짐’이 상실된 상태로 이해할 수 있다. 이로부터 확인할 수 있듯이, 주희가 말하는 리는 사물 자체의 구조뿐만 아니라 사물과 인간의 관계까지도 포괄하는 개념이다. 다시 말해, 리는 사실과 행위, 객관과 주관의 두 차 원에 모두 걸쳐있다. 따라서 리는 사물의 원리나 자연의 패턴뿐만 아니라 그것을 인식하고 실현하는 인간의 행위까지도 포괄하는 개념이다. 리에 대한 이와 같은 이해는 주자학에서 최고의 경지로 제시되는 인(仁) 개념을 파악하는 데 도움이 된다. 주희는 인(仁)을 “심지덕 (心之德) 애지리(愛之理)”라고 정의하였다. 여기에서 ‘애지리(愛之理)’는 사랑의 감정이 자연스럽게 발현되어 대상과 어우러지는 상태까지 함축하고 있다. 다시 말해 ‘사랑의 감정이 발현되는 사실’의 차원과 ‘사랑하는 대상과 어우러지는 행위’의 차원을 포괄하고 있다. 이처 럼 주자학에서 리는 사실과 행위가 어우러져서 어떤 가치를 창출하는 상태를 지칭하는 개 념이다. 이러한 이해는 주자학의 ‘리’를 단순히 ‘이치’로 번역하는 우리 학계에 새로운 시각 을 열어주리라 기대된다. (shrink)

本文首先在宏观的层面上对韩国儒学在东亚的地位和研究概况进行介绍｡ 并在此基础上主要以退溪为例, 进行现代中国大陆与台湾、日本对韩国儒学研究情况的介绍与分析｡ 中国大陆学者对韩国哲学研究注重义理阐发, 显得中正平和；台湾学者对韩国儒学的研究较为突出的是方法上的西方影响(即台湾采用的方法受到了西方思维方式的影响)；日本则坚持以文献说话, 试图呈现历史主义的客观性｡ 近几十年来, 退溪的研究在东亚有了丰厚的成果, 触及到了其思想的方方面面, 包括近几年在日韩与台湾学界出现的退溪心学与阳明学的关联性思考也是值得深思的｡ 无论何种研究总是从自己国家和地区, 思想认识出发, 难免背后有一个情感和现实带出来的问题意识｡ 方法上的兼采众长和问题意识的交相呼应, 将有利于退溪学研究向纵深不断发展, 扩大其影响力｡.

현대 한국교육의 당면과제는 인성교육 내지 전인교육의 실현이다. 해방이후 지속되어 온 주지(主知)교육은 우리나라의 경제발전과 첨단과학시대를 여는데 크게 기여했지만, 그 이면에 많은 부작용과 과제를 안겨 주었다. 이 논문은 이러한 문제의식에서 유학의 인성에 대한 이해를 통해 인성교육의 필요성을 자각하고, 또 인성의 교육적 접목 가능성을 검토해 보고자 하는데 목적이 있다. 『논어』에 나타난 인성 이해는 인(仁)으로 설명된다. 이는 공자의 인성 이해로서 전인적 의미를 갖는다. 『논어』에서의 仁人은 곧 군자이며, 군자야말로 유가교육의 목표다. 따라서 『논어』의 인성 이해는 조화로운 인성의 함양이며 균형 잡힌 인성의 형성이다. 또한 『순자』의 인성 이해는 (...) 동물까지 포함하는 원초적 본능이나 생물적 욕구로 규정된다. 순자는 성(性)과 위(僞)를 구분하고 성은 태어나면서부터 저절로 얻어지는 것이고, 위는 예의와 같이 후천적 노력으로 이루어지는 것이라 하였다. 순자는 감각적 욕망, 본능적 욕구를 성으로 보아 악한 것으로 보았지만, 화성기위(化性起僞)를 통해 선화(善化)의 가능성과 성인의 길을 열어 놓았다. 또한 마음을 형체의 임금이요 신명(神明)의 주인으로 오관(五官)을 다스리는 천관(天官)이라 하여, 마음의 주재성, 주체성을 매우 강조하였다. 또한 성리학에서는 선진유학에서의 인성 이해를 이기론적으로 해석하여 심성의 정밀한 분석을 시도하였다. 심(心), 성(性), 정(情), 의(意)를 나누어 보기도 하고 합해 보기도 하였고, 이기(理氣)를 통해 인간 심성의 구조와 기능을 설명하기도 하였다. 성리학자에 따라 주리적 인성 이해, 주기적 인성 이해, 이기 조화적 인성 이해 등 다양한 인성 이해를 보여주었다. 이와 같이 유학의 인성 이해는 역사적으로 다양한 모습을 보여주지만, 유학에 있어서 인성 이해의 핵심은 ‘조화로운 인성’, ‘균형 잡힌 인성’을 이상으로 삼는다. 현대 한국교육이 ‘무엇이든 하나만 잘하면 된다’고 하여 전공기술인의 양성을 장려하는 데서 불구적 인간의 양산과 인성교육의 위기를 맞고 있다. 인성의 내면적인 요소 즉 지성, 덕성, 감성, 욕구, 의지 등 모두가 인간 완성에 필요한 요소라는 인식이 필요하고, 이들의 조화와 균형을 통해 건전한 인격이 기능하고 군자의 양성이 가능한 것이다. 심신이 건강한 시민, 조화로운 인격의 지도자 양성이야 말로, 이 시대가 가야 할 정치의 목표이며 교육의 이상인 것이다. (shrink)

현대신유학은 5.4운동 이후 중국사상의 근본정신 계승을 토대로 서양사상을 받아들여 중국의 현실적 문제를 해결할 것을 주장하며 형성된 학파이다. 중국의 학술계는 현대신유학을 마르크스주의, 자유주의와 함께 중국근(현)대 3대사상으로 지칭한다. 1949년 중화인민공화국 성립이후 현대신유학자들은 대부분 홍콩, 대만 등지로 옮겨 활동하면서 그들의 철학과 문화보수주의를 이어갔다. 1978년 이전에는 금기시되었던 이들 사상은 1980년대 중반 현대신유학자들이 중국에서 활발한 강연, 저술 활동을 펼치면서 다시 주목받게 된다. 그리고 현대신유학에 대한 대규모의 연구가 1987년 국가의 지원을 받아 진행된다. ‘전통과 현대화’의 문제를 고민하고 있던 중국은 현대신유학에 대한 연구를 통해 전통의 고양과 현대적 전화의 (...) 가능성을 찾고자 했던 것이다.중국의 현대신유학 연구는 학술적으로는 단절되었던 전통사상을 계승하고 그 현대적 전화를 모색하는 것, 사회적으로는 이를 통해 자본주의의 폐단을 차단하고 통제하는 것, 정치적으로 사회주의의 중국화를 강화하는 것 등을 목적으로 한다. 1980년대 현대신유학 연구는 이러한 목적을 위한 초보단계로 주로 현대신유가의 사상을 소개, 정리, 이해하는 것에 집중된다. 그리고 이는 마르크스주의자들에 의해 주도되고, 마르크스주의의 입장, 관점, 방법을 견지하며 진행된다. 짧은 시간 안에 이루어진 수용과 이해라는 한계를 지니고 있지만, 1980년대 현대신유학 연구는 현대신유가 사상을 보급하고, 전통의 비판적 계승에 관한 논의를 확대하고, 현대화가 곧 서구화를 의미하는 것만은 아니라는 인식을 제고하는 등의 성과가 있었다. (shrink)

진단은 도교 내단이론의 정립자이며, 북송 이래 사상계에서 가장 큰 영향력을 남긴 인물이다. 그는 다른 종교의 장점을 자신의 이론체계에 받아들이고 있음을 분명히 선언하고 있다. 그는 도교 수련과정의 논리적 부족함을 메우기 위해 유교의 易學을 도교 秘傳의 역학으로 대치하고, 육신과 정신의 이중구조를 통합하는 방법을 모색하는 과정에서 선불교의 마음수행법을 자신의 체계 속으로 끌어들였다. 진단의 내단이론은 精氣神의 개념에 기반하여 ‘연정화기’ ‘연기화신’ ‘연신환허’의 단계로 수련하는 도식이다. 진단이 말하는 내단수련이란, ‘도교 방식으로 해석한 『주역』의 근본원리에 바탕을 두고서 마음을 고요하게 하는 禪의 수행으로부터 시작하여, 그 고요함의 끝에서 온갖 변화에 (...) 신묘하게 통할 수 있고 지혜가 충만한 상태에 이르게 되면, 미묘한 精의 흐름을 간취하여 이것을 기로 변화시키는 과정을 거쳐서 결국 복귀무극의 상태로 돌아가는 것’이라고 할 수 있다. 이러한 과정을 그는 「무극도」를 그려서 표현했다. 동양철학은 인간을 ‘현상적 존재’와 ‘본원적 존재’로 구분한다. 이러한 ‘존재 규정’으로부터 수도론의 논리가 성립된다. ‘자아’ 또는 ‘자기’라는 개념을 어떻게 규정하느냐에 따라서 ‘현상적 존재’로부터 ‘본원적 존재’로의 회귀 내지는 도약 방법이 결정된다. 도교 내단이론의 정립자라 할 수 있는 진단은 이런 측면에서 독특한 내단수련론과 삼교회통론의 체계를 확립한 인물이다. 오늘날은 ‘자아상실의 시대’ 또는 환경오염으로 인하여 생기는 ‘난치병의 시대’라고 할 수 있다. 자아의 회복과 건강한 삶을 위해서 몸과 마음을 연결짓는 진단의 수련론에 대한 검토와, 여기에 기초한 새로운 수련법의 모색은 여전히 의미 있는 일이다. (shrink)

이 논문은 유가문화의 관계 맺음의 삶의 방식에는 어떠한 이념이 있는지를 추출해 보고, 나아가 이 이념의 주관적 근거를 맹자의 인성론을 중심으로 살펴보고, 객관적 근거를 순자의 예에서 살펴봄으로써 유가의 삶의 질에 대해 전체적으로 조명한다.유가의 삶의 방식이 결코 폐쇄된 체계가 아니라 세계와의 관계 맺음을 통해서 끊임없이 자신을 창조해나가는 개방적 형태임을 살펴보고, 그 이념은 구분과 조화, 차이와 동일성에 있음을 살펴보았다. 그리고 이런 삶의 이념은 천도론에서 음과 양의 관계로 설명될 수 있으며, 정감적 근거로는 ‘親親’과 ‘尊尊’임을 밝히고 있다. 맹자사상에서 관계맺음의 특징은 자신의 직분, 역할에 대한 관심보다는 (...) 상대방과 어떻게 관계를 맺느냐 에서 찾아 질 수 있다. 맹자는 사랑의 원리를 仁으로 보고 있으며, 구분의 원리를 義로 보고 있다. 즉 仁이 타인에 대한 ‘사랑’이라면, 義는 타인에 대한 ‘구분’을 의미한다. 또한 心에는 자아실현의 욕구와 타인과의 관계 욕구가 있으며 이것이 실현되어질 때 즐거움을 얻을 수 있음을 밝히고 있다.유학의 삶의 질에 대한 객관적 조건의 이해를 위해 순자를 중심으로 탐색해 보았다. 순자철학의 특징은 관계주체의 직분을 강조하고 있으며, 또한 예의 근거를 자연과 역사, 성인과 임금에서 찾고 있으며, 삶의 주체가 가치를 실현시킬 수 있는 사회제도의 기본원리를 살펴보았다. (shrink)

윤휴⋅정제두⋅이병휴⋅정약용⋅김택영 등은 『고본대학』에는 착간과 궐문이 없고 그 차서 그대로 논리적 정합성을 지니고 있음을 증명하기 위해 노력한다. 특히 격물치지에 대한 독자적 견해를 통해 격물치지전은 본래부터 없었다고 보거나 격물치지에 해당하는 부분을 제시한다. 윤휴는 격물치지란 명덕과 신민의 일을 할 때에 居敬하고 存誠하는 것으로 이해하여, 誠意∼平天下의 모든 과정에서 필요한 공부이기 때문에 따로 격물치지전이 필요 없다고 주장한다. 정제두는 격물치지란 성의∼평천하를 至善에 그치게 하는 것으로 이해하여, 경1장과 전5장 1절∼2절이 격물치지에 대해 설명한 것으로 파악한다. 이병휴는 격물치지란 사물의 至善의 소재를 궁구하여 그 곳에 마땅히 그쳐야 함을 아는 것으로 (...) 이해하여, 이에 대해서는 전3장 1절∼3절에서 설명하였기 때문에 따로 격물치지전이 필요 없다고 주장한다. 정약용은 격물치지란 성의∼평천하의 본말과 종시를 잘 헤아려서 그 선후를 명확하게 인식하는 것으로 이해하여, 경1장 2절∼7절과 전5장 1절∼2절이 격물치지와 관련된 부분이라고 주장한다. 김택영은 격물치지란 삼강령과 그 조목인 성의∼평천하의 본말과 종시의 선후를 궁구하여 아는 것으로 이해하여, 경1장 3절과 6절∼7절, 전5장 1절∼2절이 격물치지에 대해 설명한 것으로 파악한다. (shrink)

In Confucianism as Religion: Controversies and Consequences, Yong Chen takes an interesting approach to the subject of Confucian religiosity: he concentrates on analyzing the intellectual and academic debate about the question of whether Confucianism is a religion and highlights its cultural as well as socio-political implications for contemporary China, assuming that this debate coincided with a transition from the predominance of Confucian paradigms to those of modernity. Without this paradigmatic shift, argues Chen, the past and ongoing controversy about Confucian religiosity (...) could not be fully appreciated.To verify his assumption, the author first examines the Chinese reception of the Western concept of... (shrink)

Solidly grounded in Chinese primary sources, Neo Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality engages the latest global scholarship to provide an innovative, rigorous, and clear articulation of neo-Confucianism and its application to Western philosophy. -/- Contextualizes neo-Confucianism for contemporary analytic philosophy by engaging with today’s philosophical questions and debates Based on the most recent and influential scholarship on neo-Confucianism, and supported by primary texts in Chinese and cross-cultural secondary literature Presents a cohesive analysis of neo-Confucianism by investigating the metaphysical foundations of (...) neo-Confucian perspectives on the relationship between human nature, human mind, and morality Offers innovative interpretations of neo-Confucian terminology and examines the ideas of eight major philosophers, from Zhou Dunyi and Cheng-Zhu to Zhang Zai and Wang Fuzhi Approaches neo-Confucian concepts in an penetrating yet accessible way. (shrink)

Are Confucian and Buddhist ethical views closer to Kantian, Consequentialist, or Virtue Ethical ones? And how can such comparisons shed light on the unique aspects of Confucian and Buddhist views? This essay (i) provides a historically grounded framework for distinguishing western views, (ii) identifies a series of questions that we can ask in order to clarify the philosophic accounts of ethical motivation embedded in the Buddhist and Confucian traditions, and (iii) then critiques Lee Ming-huei’s claim that Confucianism is closer to (...) Kantianism than virtue ethics and Charles Goodman’s claim that Buddhism is closer to Consequentialism than virtue ethics. (shrink)

Even the most casual observer of Chinese society is aware of the tremendous significance of Confucianism as a linchpin of both ancient and modern Chinese identity. Furthermore, the Confucian tradition has exercised enormous influence over the values and institutions of the other cultures of East Asia, an influence that continues to be important in the global Asian diaspora. If forecasters are correct in labeling the 21st century 'the Chinese century,' teachers and scholars of religious studies and theology will be called (...) upon to illuminate the history, character, and role of Confucianism as a religious tradition in Chinese and Chinese-influenced societies. The essays in this volume will address the specifically pedagogical challenges of introducing Confucian material to non-East Asian scholars and students. Informed by the latest scholarship as well as practical experience in the religious studies and theology classroom, the essays are attentive to the various settings within which religious material is taught and sensitive to the needs of both experts in Confucian studies and those with no background in Asian studies who are charged with teaching these traditions. The authors represent all the arenas of Confucian studies, from the ancient to the modern. Courses involving Confucius and Confucianism have proliferated across the disciplinary map of the modern university. This volume will be an invaluable resource for instructors not only in religious studies departments and theological schools, but also teachers of world philosophy, non-Western philosophy, Asian studies, and world history. (shrink)