Confucian Ethics – Order and Vitality

Author: Liu Zongxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The chapter "Reflection on Traditional Philosophical Thinking—On the Characteristics of Chinese Philosophy's Harmony of Heaven and Humanity and Unity of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty" in this book is an elaboration on the characteristics of Chinese philosophy, primarily Confucianism and Taoism, which I have repeatedly contemplated and researched over the following years. The paper proposes that Confucianism and Taoism each take "humanity" and "heaven" as the starting points of their cosmic perspectives: Confucianism "subordinates human affairs to the way of heaven," while Taoism "views human affairs through the lens of the way of heaven." The idea that these two schools "mutually stimulate and interact" reflects my understanding of the mainstream of Chinese philosophy and lays the groundwork for further research on the ethical characteristics of Confucian philosophy.
The second part of this book is the title of a key research project I designed to study the relationship between Confucianism and modernization. The initial idea was inspired by the Confucian ethical culture's emphasis on harmony and pursuit of social stability, as well as its ability to integrate moral and cultural values during periods of social upheaval to maintain stability. I believe this function is rooted in Confucian philosophy's core ethical and moral principles. It is widely agreed among scholars that Confucian culture values order and integration, but discussions about this topic often focus more on its negative aspects than on its positive contributions. Given that Chinese society is currently in a transitional period of modernization, issues such as the decline of morality in the market economy, the regulation and guidance of values, the reconstruction of moral ideals and beliefs in the new era, as well as professional ethics, social morality, and corporate ethics, all prominently raise the question of rebuilding morality and order under market economy conditions. Therefore, in the process of uncovering the strengths of traditional culture, the value of Confucian thought in promoting order and integration should be reevaluated. The reason for choosing the title "Confucian Ethics—Order and Vitality" for this book is that it encapsulates the core idea of the entire work, with all the chapters revolving around this central theme.
The third and fourth parts of this book include selected essays by the author on "Song-Ming Confucianism and Culture" and "Qilu Culture," as these essays are also relevant to the overall theme of the book.