confucius and kant: two concepts on respect

7/23/2019 Confucius and Kant: Two Concepts on Respect

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Confucius and Kant regard respectas the root of any system ofethics.

Confucius

o Respect is expressed by the characterjen(indicates an

attitude of respect toward self and others).

o Jenenables a social group to exist. Respect is necessarybecause human beings are socialbeings.

o The social framework denes the accepted range of

respectful conduct toward others (respect for personae inaccordance with dynamic social roles).

o asic insights on intrasocial beha!ior patterns were made

a!ailable to Confucius by tradition (e.g. the concept of "i!eRelationships# which in!ol!es the authority of one persono!er another).

Confucius wants to remold this tradition# in the sense

that there should be a reform coming from within$there should be a positive social interactionamong people.

This reform is only possible through the concept of

respect$which Confucius describes as the unifyingthread that underlies all virtues in the Confuciansystem of ethics.

o Jenis also used by Confucius to con!ey the essence of hismoral philosophy.

%ere# respect predominates.

&en in!ol!es more than an emotional appeal. 't is not

simply bene!olence# compassion to humaneness andgoodwill# or lo!e.

The meaning of jen must include a senseof human interaction that the focus ison man himself and what he can morallyaccomplish in relation to others.

o The root of broader social interaction (%T *R'+,- T%,

-C'/) is the reciprocal cultivation of respect towardand for others and self.

Confucius0 n educated man wears an air of respect.

e respectful and loyal.

o Li and i both exemplify and pro!ide concrete support forjen# while the chn-tzu is its personication.

o Li 1 *uty

-ocial roles that dene the limit and boundaries2 li

species the limits of ethical beha!ior# of what is andis not socially acceptable conduct

-tarts from the family


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The 3cultural setting4 within whichjencan be

reali5ed 6ro!ides the context of social stability (especially

because of the political conditions pre!ailing in thetime of Confucius)

symbol of one7s worthiness for respect through acommitment to underlying social and moral !alues

Without the establishment of boundaries, no

interaction, social or otherwise, can hope tosucceed.

Family is responsible for instilling the rules forsocially accepted beha!ior.

These rules then enable the interaction$the

social. *i!orced from its moral intention# fromjenor

respect# li is meaningless. To be a well8ad9usted indi!idual (a happy and

producti!e member of society)# human beings needdiscipline and training# and respecthad aprimary role to play.

'ntellectual culti!ation is worthless if not

accompanied by emotional balance. D!"#$%& and T'(%%) starts at *+&.

'espect is learned by the children, thus theentire society bene-ts.

-ense of oneness with the family : sense of

oneness with society (p. ; conform to role

designations# that is# that the conduct of theindi!idual fullls the re?uirements of the social roleor persona. The rules of performance are containedwithin the name itself. We do not merely play arole we are the role.

o I1 &udgment

c?uired sense of what is right

'n order to apply the insights and directi!es of li

correctly# individual judgment must be

cultivated. I seals our preference for tao.

Re9ects the prot moti!e represents /the doing

of what is right0 %&"&!!('1because without it# none of the other

Confucian !irtues (liandjen) could be reali5ed


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-er!es as the general 3standard of e!aluation#4

bestowing meaning upon one7s acts Two components0

-ub9ecti!e self8knowledge of good truth (or theway) @ uni!ersal standard of tao

potential state or situation which needs atting action to make it a moral state orsituation @ re!eals an element of particularityin taoitself

To merely absorb learning 2of li, the socialroles3 is insu4cient correct implementation oflearning demands individual input, by way ofjudgment.

Knowing the limits of applicability for theory is as

important as knowing when it can be applied.

-elf8reliance is emphasi5ed in Confucian ethics0

3 man can enlarge his ay2 but there is noay that can enlarge a man.4

Ide!elops a creati!e indi!idual who is capable of

responding appropriatelywhile preser!ing totality ofgoodness and 9ustice.

o Tao1 Aoral /aw

6a!es way for the i

Represents both a concrete way of life and an

abstract principle of conduct 't is both the uni!ersal ay of %ea!en (order of

nature) and the way of human beings (humannature).

6ro!ides a uni!ersal and unwa!ering standard for

9udgmento Chn-tzu 1 6ersonication ofJen1Respect

"irm grounding in li (instructed about the boundaries

of social roles)B 9udgments of applicability in i (ableto culti!ate the faculty of 9udgment) : the fullreali5ation ofjenbecomes possible (consummatesocial being)

li B i 9en chn8t5u

&en The !irtue of !irtues# as 3an awareness of self8

reali5ation and self89ustication4

-upreme principle of moral action

The chn8t5u is trained to condently bring forth the

appropriate moral 9udgment from the depths of a


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well8culti!ated personality. %e is a standard ofaspiration.

person who has achie!ed a mastery in liand its

application through i# whose beha!ior e!idencesrespect for social roles# for Aoral /aw# and for self

-uits his actions to the concrete conditions at hand(related to the pre!ious statement of knowing whenan action is appropriate)

n autonomous moral agent who is in harmony with

otherso oral smugness (thinking we ha!e reached our goal and

thus need not stri!e any farther) is the !ery antithesis ofjen.

nd so# an ongoing1continuous self8criticism (rather

than criticism of others) is recommended.o hen liand ias theory ha!e been translated into

practice# and internali5ed to instill spontaneous virtue#one may be said to ha!e reali5ed the !irtue of !irtues#jen.

o Jensupercedes the ideal5 one may be a chn-tzubutlac6 jen, however those who possess jenareinvariably chn-tzu.

o Jenfullls itself as the ideal of humanity# of respect for

human beings# by reiterating the social dimensions ofhuman existence.

o &ach individual is, in some sense, e7ually deservingof respect, above and beyond the hierarchicaldistinctions of social personae. This is jenas theideal of humanity.

Kant

o %uman beings are worthy of respect because they are

rationalbeings.o The imperati!e of ethics to respect others deri!es from our

shared rational nature$reason confers personhood.o Three main elements of the program for positi!e social

interaction0 Roots of respect# directed at persons as rational

beings

Respect for the moral law# a product of reason asguided by 9udgment

'deal of moral conduct in the good will# personifying

respect through the principle of humanityo Respect for 6ersons0 The Community of Rational eings

'ationalitypro!ides the common context of human

interaction.


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'ationality8'eason is the essence of humannature. 't instructs us by her rules to remain inthe path of duty.

The innateness and a prioricharacter of reason

precludes education as a tool for eliciting human

nature. '&(!+% is the 6ey for moral conduct.

dherence to duty demands dual considerations.

cting according to duty0 supercial conduct#

mere legality

cting from duty0 respect for moral law

Kant condemns the impracticality of uni!ersal lo!e0

to command the emotion of love as a moralduty is contradictory, although respect can beso commanded

Respect must be directed toward human beings

Kantian respect for persons parallels Confucian

respect for personae (personae is the sense ofpersona as the mask worn by actors in a dramato indicate the roles being portrayed)

"or Kant# respect wells up from the sense of

participation in a community of rational beings. Kant and Confucius shares the concept of

uni!ersality of respect for human beings inaccordance with their guiding model @ rational naturein Kant and social nature in Confucius @ a community

of indi!iduals as opposed to indi!iduals in acommunity

o Respect for Aoral /aw0 The Categorical 'mperati!e

The formula of the Categorical 'mperati!e is called

into ser!ice. Central to both i and the Categorical'mperati!e is a regard for the oughtness of asituation# the sense of the Right.

Dnlike Confucian Aean and its Eexibility of standards#

9ant:s $aws are rigid and of universal 7uality. /ike tao# Kantian Aoral /aw elicits moral Respect.

oth also demonstrate the moral way. *owever,

9ant:s oral $aw is alienated from nature. 'tpresents to us an order transcending that of nature.

*uty alone must be dominant in our thoughts and

actions0 only Aoral /aw 3precludes all inclinationfrom ha!ing a direct inEuence on the will.4

Kantian 9udgment parallels Confucian i


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&udgment is the !ital link between theory andpractice.

*+W&;&'# for Kant# 9udgment is a 3naturalgift#4 which may or may not be bestowed onthe theoretician at birth. "urthermore#

possession of both reason and Aoral /awpre!ents the de!elopment of moral 9udgment.

Kant7s problems with 9udgment : source of his

ob9ectionable inEexibility The Confucian sense of ongoing balance is lacking in

the Kantian uni!erse# replaced by unchallengedeternal truths.

Kant : Fewtonian Aodel : %ard -cience

(natural sciences2 in!estigated by means ofhypothesis)

Confucius : Confucian Aodel : -oft -cience

(social sciences) Kant upholds the autonomous character of the moral

agent0 the autonomy of the will is the soleprinciple of all moral laws and of dutiesconforming to them

The will both legislates and is sub9ect to Aoral /aw#

ser!ing as a creati!e expression of character.o The 'deal of the Good ill0 The 6rinciple of %umanity

Respect for persons and for the moral law is fully

embodied in Kant7s good will.

Fothing can possibly be called good without?ualication except a good will.

The indi!idual with a good will# the will to act on and

from moral considerations# stri!es to reali5e the?ualities of a rational being.

3y the mere habit of fre?uently looking upon actions

as praise8worthy or blame8worthy# a good foundationwould be laid for righteousness in the future courseof life.4

lthough we ought to stri!e to act Has if7 we were

completely rational# Kant reali5ed this to be beyond

the capacities of mere humans# compounded as weare of a dual sensible1intelligible nature.

There was no possibility of there being in him a

desire to de!iate from moral laws. (parallelswith the Confucian concept of the spontaneousadherence to tao)


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Aoral models can come from all human sources. s

embodiments of the moral law# such people demandour respect.

The imitation of the moral models alone

entitles us to a legitimate sense of self8worth.

The Confucian self8criticism is also present in theKantian ideal of the good will.

ur stri!ing for perfection ne!er really ends#

but merely draws us on to e!er8greater heights. ll of our actions must continue under the close

scrutiny of the will.

This willis both legislator and sub9ect of themoral law# and we must be e!er wary of thisdual role# so that we do not delude oursel!eswith !isions of so!ereignty. n this regard,reason acts as a balancing force betweenthe two roles.

'espect for others is conjoined with self

confucius and kant: two concepts on respect

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