Li in the Analects : Training in Moral Competence and the Question of Flexibility

Lai, Karyn L.

doi:10.1353/pew.2006.0001

Cited by 65 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Fingarette 1972;Cua 1979). In fact, as many scholars have noted, classical Confucians thought the essence of Confucian moral agency lies in the creative tension between ren 仁 and li (Tu 1968;also Hagen 2003;Lai 2006;Li 2007;Shun 1993). Therefore, it should not be overlooked that despite his unflinching advocacy of the li as both the moral and political transformative mechanisms, Xunzi puts ren 仁 before li (Xunzi 27:10) and asserts that the foundation of the li lies in following [reformed] human nature, namely, the heart of ren 仁 (Xunzi 27:19).…”

Section: Confucian Civility and The Hobbesian Problematiquementioning

confidence: 99%

From Desire to Civility: Is Xunzi a Hobbesian?

Kim

2011

Dao

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This article argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, Xunzi's and Hobbes's understandings of human nature are qualitatively different, which is responsible for the difference in their respective normative political theory of a civil polity. This article has two main theses: first, where Hobbes's deepest concern was with human beings' unsocial passions, Xunzi was most concerned with human beings' appetitive desires (yu 欲), material self-interest, and resulting social strife; second, as a result, where Hobbes strove to transform the pathological (anti-)politics of resentment into the politics of recognition by creating rational egalitarian citizenship under the all-encompassing constitutional sovereign power, Xunzi attempted to nourish human beings' basic appetitive desires (yu 欲) by instituting a li 禮 ordered civil entity. This article concludes by showing how Confucian civility that Xunzi reconstructed by means of the li 禮 can effectively deal with unsocial passions.

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Section: Confucian Civility and The Hobbesian Problematiquementioning

confidence: 99%

From Desire to Civility: Is Xunzi a Hobbesian?

Kim

2011

Dao

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“…In Confucian philosophy, the term xue ( : learn, learning) is used to suggest an extensive process of familiarisation with appropriate behaviour or paradigmatic models (and, in some cases, even with models of reprehensible conduct so as to avoid them; see 5.10). The Confucian approach to learning is practical in that it assumes that familiarity with examples of exemplary practice 3 will help the learner grasp the justificatory or operative principles that underlie those actions or behaviours (cf Lai, 2003Lai, , 2006a.…”

Section: Some Epistemological Assumptions In the Analectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowing to Act in the Moment: Examples from Confucius’Analects

Lai¹

2012

Asian Philosophy

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Many scholars note that the Analects, and Confucian philosophy more generally, hold a conception of knowing that more closely approximates 'knowing-how' than 'knowingthat'. However, I argue that this description is not sufficiently sensitive to the concerns of the early Confucians and their focus on self-cultivation. I propose that a particular conception of knowing-knowing to act in the moment-is better suited to capturing the Analects' emphasis on exemplary lives in actual contexts. These investigations might also contribute to discussions on know-how in epistemology in western philosophy.

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“…That is, jing 敬 not only reveals an agentic moment in the practice of li 禮 but also vindicates that li 禮 is fundamentally grounded in deference and respectfulness to others. 24 Likewise, pointing out the inextricability between li 禮 and yi 義 (ethical appropriateness), Karyn Lai (2006) argues that reflective thinking and independent inquiry are integral to the practice of li 禮, and to the process of Confucian selfcultivation, rendering li 禮 flexible as opposed to cumbersome and restrictive. However, the agential element in the practice of li 禮 (fuli 復禮) should not be emphasized too much, lest it be misconceived as a purely rational action.…”

Section: Keji Fuli 克己復禮 and Beyond Narcissismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Transformation and Civil Society: Lockean vs. Confucian

Kim

2009

Dao

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Although contemporary Confucianists tend to view Western liberalism as pitting the individual against society, recent liberal scholarship has vigorously claimed that liberal polity is indeed grounded in the self-transformation that produces "liberal virtues." To meet this challenge, this essay presents a sophisticated Confucian critique of liberalism by arguing that there is an appreciable contrast between liberal and Confucian selftransformation and between liberal and Confucian virtues. By contrasting Locke and Confucius, key representatives of each tradition, this essay shows that both liberalism and Confucianism aim to reconstruct a society freed from antisocial passions entailing a vicious politics of resentment, and yet come to differing ethical and political resolutions. My key claim is that what makes Confucian self-cultivation so distinctive is the incorporation of ritual propriety (li) within it, whereas liberal self-transformation that relies heavily on a method of self-control comes back to the problem that it originally set out to overcome.

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Li in the Analects : Training in Moral Competence and the Question of Flexibility

Cited by 65 publications

References 13 publications

From Desire to Civility: Is Xunzi a Hobbesian?

From Desire to Civility: Is Xunzi a Hobbesian?

Knowing to Act in the Moment: Examples from Confucius’Analects

Self-Transformation and Civil Society: Lockean vs. Confucian

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