The Foundations of Chinese Philosophy: The Confucian Ethos

1. The Foundations of Chinese Philosophy: The Confucian Ethos San-pao Li, Ph.D. Department of Asian and Asian American Studies California State University, Long Beach California, U.S.A. February 19, 2004

2. The Anthropocosmic Unity:Heaven, Earth, and Man Heaven (Religion) Earth (Cosmology) Man (Ethics)

3. Ethos • The characteristic and distinguishing attitudes, habits, beliefs, etc. of an individual or of a group

4. The Confucian Ethos • For nearly 2,500 years Confucianism remained both a dominant intellectual force and a forceful ethical system that molded and conditioned many aspects of Chinese culture.

5. An Outline • Intellectual Flowering in Early China: The “Hundred Schools”(520 B.C.-220 B.C.) • Confucius as a “paradigmatic individual” • Confucianism

6. An Outline • Intellectual Flowering in Early China: The “Hundred Schools”(520 B.C.-220 B.C.) • Confucius as a “paradigmatic individual” • Confucianism

7. Yu-lan Fung, History of Chinese Philosophy • Period of the Philosophers: The Classical Period • Period of Classical Learning

8. Period of the Philosophers Zi or Tzu= Master • Kung Fu Tzu (Kongfuzi, Confucius) • Meng Tzu (Mengzi, Mencius) • Lao Tzu (Laozi) • Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) • Hsun Tzu (Xunzi) • Han Fei Tzu (Hanfeizi)

9. Period of Classical Learning(2nd century B.C. - 20th century) • Confucian scholars/philosophers • Neo-Confucianism • Buddhism (The only newly introduced thought-system in this period

10. The “Hundred Schools” • Confucianism (Confucius, Mencius) • Taoism/Daoism (Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu) • Moism (Mo Tzu) • Legalism (Han Fei Tzu)

11. The “Hundred Schools” • Dialecticians/Logicians • Yin-Yang philosophers • Agriculturalists • Militarists

12. An Outline • Intellectual Flowering in Early China: The “Hundred Schools” • Confucius as a “paradigmatic individual” • Confucianism

13. Karl Jaspers,The Great PhilosophersThe four “paradigmatic individuals” • Socrates • Buddha • Confucius • Jesus

14. Karl Jaspers,The Great PhilosophersThe four “paradigmatic individuals” • By being what they were, did more than other men to determine the history of man • Their influence extends through two millennia down to our own day • They became the foundations of powerful philosophical movements • Not philosophers themselves, but they have had extraordinary impact for all philosophies

15. Michael H. HartThe 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History • See transparency

16. An Outline • Intellectual Flowering in Early China: The “Hundred Schools” • Confucius as a “paradigmatic individual” • Confucianism

17. Confucianism

18. Man---Ethics • The “self” and the “society” • cultivation of the self • self--family--state--world • inner-sageliness and outer-kingliness • the process of daily renewal • the concept of “self-renovation” • transforming potential • a process of becoming • from “what is” to “what should be”

19. Man---Ethics • The five cardinal human relationships • The hierarchical structure: misinterpretations from the Han • Core values in Confucianism • benevolence,loyalty, filial piety, and social decorum • The physical, natural order and the social, moral order are identical and often spoken as one and the same.

20. Man---EthicsThe Five Cardinal Human Relations Monarch-Subject Husband-Wife Father-Son Self Friend-Friend Brother-Brother

21. Man---EthicsThe Core Values in Confucianism Zhong (Loyalty) Xiao (Filial Piety) Jie (Chastity) Ren (Benevolence) Xin (Faithfulness) Li (Rites)

22. Man---EthicsThe concept of “filial piety” • Complete devotion, honor, respect, and obedience to one’s parents, living and deceased.

23. Man---EthicsThe concept of “righteousness” • A universal and “holistic” expression of all the general virtues in the Confucian system • Any failure to actualize a potential virtue and any infraction against or nonfulfillment of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, or even the principle of faithfulness among friends disqualifies a person from being considered “righteous.” • The attainment of it represents a summa summarum or moral completion.

24. Man---EthicsThe concept of “righteousness”

25. Man---Ethics • Confucian personality is not private but public • Publicly accountable and communally significant

26. Man---Ethics • The Confucian “subjectivity” • A moral concept sui generis • “It is man who magnifies the Dao; the Dao does not magnify a man.” • The concept of “matching Heaven” • Charles A. Moore, The Chinese Mind • “The ethical and the spiritual are one in China” • Faust and Prometheus

27. Confucianism • Advocated humanism • Stressed personal cultivation • A system of intense moralism and humanism • Identified politics with ethics • Attempted to restore social order (“rectification of names“)

28. The Anthropocosmic Unity:Heaven, Earth, and Man Heaven (Religion) Earth (Cosmology) Man (Ethics)

29. The Foundations of Chinese Philosophy: The Confucian Ethos San-pao Li, Ph.D. Department of Asian and Asian American Studies California State University, Long Beach California, U.S.A. February 19, 2004

30. Thank you! • Your comments and questions • are welcome!