Modern Confucianism and the Concept of “Asian Values”

Abstract

Through contrastive analysis, the present paper aims to introduce the connections between the now fashionable notion of Asian values and the Modern Confucian discourses. Even though this has often been closely identified with Confucian axiology, this article shows how and why this notion has almost nothing to do with the contemporary stream of the so-called Modern Confucians or their philosophy. However, precisely because of this false identification, and in order to clarify any misunderstandings as to the supposed Confucian roots of this idea, it must be examined in greater detail, and placed in its historical, ideological, and sociological context. Hence, the present paper aims to introduce the difference between Modern Confucian philosophy and the discourse on Asian values, which is often mistakenly comprehended as forming part of Modern Confucianism. Given the prevalence of this confusion, it is important to explain why and in what ways Modern Confucians are, instead, generally critical of the concept of "Asian values". Keywords: Modern Confucianism, ideology, Asian values IzvlečekTa prispevek predstavlja odnos med trenutno zelo modnim pojmom azijskih vrednot na eni in filozofsko strujo modernega konfucijanstva na drugi strani. Četudi se azijske vrednote pogosto enačijo s konfucijansko aksiologijo, članek nazorno utemelji, da ta pojem nima tako rekoč nobene zveze s sodobno strujo modernega konfucijanstva, niti s filozofijo njenih predstavnikov. Vendar je treba prav zaradi napačnega enačenja razjasniti nesporazume glede domnevnih konfucijanskih korenin te ideje. V ta namen moramo koncept azijskih vrednot podrobno raziskati tudi znotraj njegovih zgodovinskih, ideoloških in socioloških kontekstov. Zato je glavni cilj tega prispevka predstavitev oziroma ponazoritev razlik med filozofijo modernega konfucijanstva in diskurzi azijskih vrednot, ki se pogosto napačno predstavljajo kot konstitutivni del modernega konfucijanstva. Glede na razsežnost problema je pomembno poudariti, da se moderni konfucijanci s to idejo nikakor ne identificirajo, temveč so, prav nasprotno, do nje zelo kritični.

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