Confucius - philosophical.spacephilosophical.space/philosophy/Confucius.pdf · Confucius •...

Confucius

Sunday, September 8, 19

Confucius

• We’re going to examine Confucius for two reasons:

• He outlines the structure of ethics in general, identifying the components of any adequate ethical theory.

• He gives us an ethical theory based on an understanding of social roles.


Ethics


Structure of Ethical Theory

• An ethical theory has to answer these questions:

• What kind of person should I be? (Character—ren)

• What should I do? (Action—li)

• How should I decide? (Decision—yi)


Is One Question Fundamental?

• What kind of person should I be? (Ancient philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—virtue ethics)

• Character => Action, Decision

• Virtue = good character trait; vice = bad character trait

• I should do what a virtuous person would do

• I should decide as a virtuous person would decide


Is One Question Fundamental?

• Maybe these questions are independent; none determines the others (Confucius)

• What kind of person should I be?

• What should I do?

• How should I decide?


Confucius

These are all important questions—and they’re independent


Confucian Pluralism

• There are at least three different components of a moral theory:

–A theory of virtue (ren)

–A set of principles about what to do (li)

– A theory of decisions, of reasons, of right action for its own sake (yi)

•No component reduces to the others


Key Concepts

• Ren (Virtue)—what I ought to be

• Li (Propriety)—what I ought to do

• Zhong (Altruism, likening-to-oneself)

• Yi (Righteousness, Justice)—How I decide, why I do it

• Dao (The Path, the right way to live)


Human Nature

• Do we need a fourth component:

• A theory of human nature?


Confucius (551-479)

•Confucius intends his theory to be independent of any theory of human nature

• 5:12 Zi-kong said, "We may hear the Master on letters and culture. But we may not hear him on human nature and the way of Heaven."


Nature and Nurture

•Confucius speaks about what we can affect— what arises from nurture.

•He declines to speak of human nature itself.


Confucian Humanism

• 11:11. Qi Lu asked about serving the spirits. The Master said, "If you can't serve men, how can you serve spirits?"

•Qi Lu added, "I venture to ask about death."

•Confucius answered, "If you don't know about life, how can you know about death?"


Confucian Humanism

• 15:28. The Master said, "The value of the Way depends on man; the value of man doesn't depend on the Way."


Human Nature

• Later Confucians advanced views of human nature.

•Mencius: people are naturally good.

•Xunzi: people are naturally evil.

•Wang Chung: some good, some evil.

•Zhu Xi: We all have both good and evil within us—moral mind vs. natural mind


Mencius (-372?– -289?)

• Virtue is Innate, based on feelings

• Mencius said, ‘All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others.’


Mencius

• “if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.”

• “... that the feeling of commiseration is essential to man, that the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to man, that the feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man, and that the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man.”


Mencius

• commiseration—Ren

• shame and dislike—Yi

• modesty and complaisance—Li

• approving and disapproving—Knowledge


Mencius

• “The man who would be benevolent is like the archer. The archer adjusts himself and then shoots. If he misses, he does not murmur against those who surpass himself. He simply turns round and seeks the cause of his failure in himself.”


Mencius

• Mencius said, ‘The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote. The work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult.’

• Mencius said, ‘The great man is he who does not lose his child’s-heart.’

• ‘The great end of learning is nothing else but to seek for the lost mind.’


Xunzi (310?–212?)

• ‘The nature of man is evil; the good which it shows is factitious [artificial].’

• Innate: self-interest, desire for gain, envy and dislike.

• Lacking: self-denial, yielding to others, faith, righteousness, propriety

• ‘the nature of man, being evil, must be submitted to teachers and laws, and then it becomes correct.’


Xunzi (310?–212?)

• We have the capacity to be virtuous

• but our natural tendency is toward vice

• Virtue requires training, education, good teachers, good friends, self-control, practice

• ‘All is the influence of association!’


Ren

What kind of person should I be? (Ren)


Ren

•What kind of person should I try to become?

•A virtuous one: I should strive for ren (jen).

•Ren translations: virtue, benevolence, kindness, love


Components of ren• 17:6. Confucius said: "To be able to practice five things everywhere under Heaven constitutes perfect virtue [ren]."

–Seriousness

–Generosity

–Sincerity

–Diligence

–Kindness


Virtue is a Mean

• Vice ————————— Virtue ————————— Vice


Virtues of ren• Too little Right Too much

• Frivolous Serious Somber

• Stingy Generous Profligate

• Insincere Sincere Reckless

• Lazy Diligent Dull

•Mean Kind Indulgent

• Small-minded Ren Simple


Other Confucian Virtues

•Too little Right Too much

• Disrespectful Respectful Bustling

• Careless Cautious Timid

• Devious Straightforward Rude

•Weak Strong Extravagant


Virtues and relationships

•Different virtues pertain to different relationships:

–• other people in general

–• friends and family

–• oneself

•All rest on the virtues of the self.


Virtues and relationships

Self

Family Others


The first Analects

• 1:1. The Master said,

• "Isn't it pleasant to learn and to apply what you've learned?

• Isn't it delightful to have friends coming from far away?

• Isn't he a person of complete virtue who doesn't get angry that others don't recognize him?"


The first Analects• 1:1. The Master said,

• "Isn't it pleasant to learn and to apply what you've learned? [SELF]

• Isn't it delightful to have friends coming from far away? [FAMILY AND FRIENDS]

• Isn't he a person of complete virtue who doesn't get angry that others don't recognize him?" [OTHERS]


Family & friends —> ren

• 1:2. Yu said, "Few filial and fraternal people like to offend their superiors, and nobody who doesn't like to offend superiors likes to stir up rebellion.

• The superior person attends to the root of things. From the root grows the Way [Dao].

• Filial piety and fraternal submission are the root of benevolence [ren]."


Family & friends —> ren

• 1:2. Yu said, "Few filial and fraternal people like to offend their superiors, and nobody who doesn't like to offend superiors likes to stir up rebellion. [OTHERS]

• The superior person attends to the root of things. From the root grows the Way [Dao]. [SELF]

• Filial piety and fraternal submission are the root of benevolence [ren]." [FAMILY AND FRIENDS]


Others/family-friends/self

• 1:4. Zeng said, "Every day I examine myself on three points: •whether, with others, I may have been unfaithful; •whether, with friends, I may have been untrustworthy; •whether I may have failed to master and practice the instructions of my teacher."



• 1:4. Zeng said, "Every day I examine myself on three points: •whether, with others, I may have been unfaithful; [OTHERS] •whether, with friends, I may have been untrustworthy; [FAMILY AND FRIENDS]•whether I may have failed to master and practice the instructions of my teacher." [SELF]



• 1:7. Zi-Xia said, "If someone turns from the love of beauty to a sincere love of virtue;

• if he can serve his parents with all his strength;

• if he can serve his prince with his life;

• if his words to his friends are sincere;

• although people say he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has."



• 1:7. Zi-Xia said, "If someone turns from the love of beauty to a sincere love of virtue;

• if he can serve his parents with all his strength; [SELF]

• if he can serve his prince with his life; [OTHERS]

• if his words to his friends are sincere; [FAMILY AND FRIENDS]

• although people say he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has."


Self

Virtues toward others

Family

Others


Virtues toward others

• Five virtues of ren

• 15:23. Zi-kong asked, "Is there one word to serve as a rule for practice throughout life?" Confucius said, "It is reciprocity [zhong]. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others."


Virtues toward family

Self

Family

Others


Virtues— family

• filial piety (xiao), obedience, reverence, and service to one's parents and elders

• fraternal submission, service and trustworthiness to one's equals

• These virtues are roots of ren.

• You learn how to treat others by learning how to interact with your family.


Conflict: Family vs. others

• 13:18. The Duke of Sheh told Confucius, "Some of us are upright. If our father had stolen a sheep, we'd bear witness to it."

•Confucius said, "In my country the upright are different. The father conceals the misconduct of the son, and the son conceals the misconduct of the father. Uprightness is to be found in this."


Virtues of the self

Self

Family

Others


First Principles

• 1:8. The Master said, "A scholar who is not serious will not be venerated, and his learning will not be solid. Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

•Have no friends not equal to yourself.

•When you have faults, do not be afraid to abandon them."


Virtues of the Self

•Knowledge —>

•virtues of thought —>

•virtues of feeling —>

•virtues of action


Knowledge

•The superior person knows the Way [Dao].

•Without knowledge, virtues change into their opposites.


Virtues of Thought

• Sincerity

•Humility

•We exhibit these to ourselves.

• Sincerity to self = self-knowledge; avoiding self-deception


Virtues of Feeling

• Superior person not only knows but loves the Way.

• You must not only do the right thing but want to do it.


Virtues of Feeling

• 2:4. "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear obeyed truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired without transgressing what was right."


Virtues of Feeling

• 4:2. The Master said, "Those without virtue can't abide long in a condition of poverty and hardship- or in a condition of enjoyment. The virtuous are at ease with virtue [ren]; the wise desire virtue."• 6:18. The Master said, "Those who know the Way aren't equal to those who love it, and those who love it aren't equal to those who delight in it."


How to develop virtue?

•How do we attain the virtues of thought, feeling, and action?


Chinese Ethics

What should I do? (Li)


Li (Propriety)

• Propriety: observing traditional social rules

• Propriety —> habits —> virtues of feeling and action

• Requires subduing oneself


Reciprocity

• 15:23. Zi-kong asked, "Is there one word to serve as a rule for practice throughout life?" Confucius said, "It is reciprocity [zhong]. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others."


Justice

• Repay kindness with kindness and injury with justice (14:36).


Propriety

• 12:1. Yen Yuan asked about perfect virtue [ren]. The Master said, “To subdue oneself and return to propriety is virtue. If a man can subdue himself and return to propriety for one day, all under heaven will ascribe virtue to him.” • “Is the practice of virtue from oneself alone, or does it depend on others?” Yen Yuan said, “I want to ask about these steps.” • The Master replied,


Propriety

• “Don't look at what is contrary to propriety; • don't listen to what is contrary to propriety; • don't speak what is contrary to propriety; • don't make a move that is contrary to propriety.”


The Clinton Administration Practices Confucianism


Chinese Ethics

How do I decide? (Yi)


Propriety & righteousness

• 15:17. The Master said, "The superior person takes righteousness [yi] to be essential. He practices it according to propriety. He brings it forth in humility. He completes it with sincerity. This is indeed a superior person."


Yi (Righteousness)

•What should motivate me?

• Selfishness: desire for gain?

•Yi: desire to do what is right just because it is right

• The superior person does the right thing for its own sake.

• The superior person treats what is right as intrinsically valuable.


Yi

• 4:16. The Master said, "The superior person's mind is conversant with righteousness [yi]; the inferior person's mind is conversant with gain."


Yi

• 4:10. The Master said, "The superior person in the world is not for anything or against anything; he follows what is right."• 4:11. The Master said, "The superior person thinks of virtue; the small person thinks of comfort. The superior person thinks of the law; the small person thinks of favors."


One thread

• 4:15. The Master said, “Shen, my doctrine is one thread.” Zeng replied, “Yes.”

• The Master went out, and the other disciples asked, “What do his words mean?”

•Zeng said, “Our Master’s doctrine is to be true to the principles of our nature and to exercise them benevolently toward others— this and nothing more.”


One thread

• “to be true to the principles of our nature”

• “and to exercise them benevolently toward others.”

• This seems to be TWO threads.


One thread

• “to be true to the principles of our nature”

• “and to exercise them benevolently toward others.”

• This seems to be TWO threads.

•Zeng is wrong, or they are equivalent.


Virtue and action

• 2:10. The Master said, “See what a person does. Mark his motives. Examine his habits. How can anyone conceal his character? How can anyone conceal his character?”

• 4:4. One whose mind is set on virtue will not practice wickedness.

•Weakness of will? Moral virtue includes self-control.


Are they equivalent?• So, perhaps

–Being true to the principles of our nature

• and

–Exercising them benevolently toward others

• are equivalent?

• But that means ren is a principle of our nature. Perhaps Mencius is right?


Virtue and Knowledge

• Virtue stems from knowledge; we must "know what to love and hate in others" (4:3) by knowing "what is right in ourselves" (6:28).

• 4:3. The Master said, "Only the truly virtuous [ren] know what to love or hate in others."


Judge yourself —> others

• 6:28. . . . Someone of perfect virtue [ren], wishing to establish himself, establishes others; wishing to enlarge himself, enlarges others. To be able to judge others by what is right in ourselves is the art of virtue [ren]."


Ban Zhao (45-116)

• Precepts for My Daughters, a text on the education and upbringing of women


Ban Zhao

• Is virtue the same for men and for women?

• What is it to be a good man?

• What is it to be a good woman?

• Should those questions receive the same answer?


Ban Zhao

• If not, are masculinity and femininity themselves virtues?

• Ban Zhao responds that being a virtuous woman is not the same as being a virtuous man.


Yin and Yang

• Yin and yang are basic forces of the universe, opposing yet complementary.

• They correspond to the distinctions between passive and active, dark and light, feminine and masculine, night and day.

• In each case, the two terms are opposites, but one cannot exist without the other.


Yin and Yang

• Yin and yang are explanatory principles.

• Everything that happens can be understood in terms of their interaction, manifested in the behavior of the five material agents (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water).


Yin and Yang

• Virtue, therefore, must be understood by distinguishing its yin and yang components.

• They are different, and even opposite

• Neither could exist without the other

• Virtue itself could not exist without their duality


Free Will?

• If yin, yang, and the five material agents explain all change, what place is left for human freedom?

• What place is left for virtue?

• Ban Zhao affirms a limited freedom within bounds against which we are persistently driven to rebel.


Ban Zhao

• “I know that man’s nature and destiny rests with Heaven,

• But by effort we can go forward and draw near to love.

• Stretched, head uplifted, we tread onward to the vision....”


Choosing Virtues

• Ban Zhao raises an issue that goes beyond yin and yang, and beyond masculine/feminine issues

• We may have to choose among virtues—maybe they conflict, and maybe we don’t have time to develop them all

• moreover, it may be best if we don’t all make the same choice


Choosing Virtues

• But why should one not voice his own opinion?

• As we admire the ancients, (so I attest to that)

• Every action of that virtuous one (my father)

• Meant literary creation

• Even though I am not wise,

• I dare not but follow him.


Li Qingzhao (1084-1151)


12th Century China

• Song Dynasty: high point for Confucianism; rigorous civil service exams based on four books; meritocracy

• High point of classical Chinese civilization: strong economy, rich intellectual culture—but militarily vulnerable

• Technological innovations: hydro-mechanical clock, first continuous power-transmitting chain, woodblock printing, paper money, insurance, paddle-wheel ships, bombs made of gunpowder and lime


12th Century China

• 1127, the Jingkang Incident: Jurchen capture the capital, Kaifeng, the world’s largest city (population over 1 million), the emperor Qinzong, and 3000 of his court—who were humiliated and sold into slavery—folloowed by weeks of looting, rape, arson, executions

• Prince Zhao Gou flees to Hangzhou, rules a reduced kingdom from 1132 on

• Southern Song Dynasty—Neo-Confucianism: Zhu Xi (1130–1200)


529 miles


China in 1141


Li Qingzhao

• Confucian virtues go hand in hand with a well-ordered society.

• “I would have been glad to grow old in such a world.”

• What becomes of virtue when society breaks down, order collapses, people flee for their lives, and intellectual pursuits are but a haunting memory?


Li Qingzhao

• The Confucian conception of virtue may seem a curiosity, a tender, fragile way of life contingent on fortunate circumstances.


Li Qingzhao

• But there is virtue even in the midst of chaos.

• Indeed, the virtues most highly to be prized in difficult circumstances are precisely those of traditional Confucianism


A Morning Dream• ...Together we saw lotus roots as big as boats.

• Together we ate jujubes as huge as melons.

• We were the guests of those on swaying lotus seats.

• They spoke in splendid language,

• Full of subtle meanings.

• The argued with sharp words over paradoxes.

• We drank tea brewed on living fire.Sunday, September 8, 19

A Morning Dream

• Although this might not help the Emperor to govern,

• It is endless happiness.

• The life of men could be like this.


A Morning Dream

• Why did I have to return to my former home,

• Wake up, dress, sit in meditation.

• Cover my ears to shut out the disgusting racket.

• My heart knows I can never see my dream come true.

• At least I can remember

• That world and sigh.


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