A Foreigner’s Suggestion for modernizing Confucian Moral Philosophy

Confucian Ethics as a “Rectification of Names”

• Harmony is Achieved when Each Person lives up to the Ethics implicit in Human Relationships

• The Five Traditional Relationships:

  • Emperor---Subjects
  • Parents-----Children
  • Husband---Wife
  • Older Brother---Younger Brother
  • Older Friend-----Younger Friend

• Moral Duties understood within the Relationship

• Moral Duties as “Asymmetrical Reciprocities”

• Moral Leadership by Moral Example

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