Roger T. Ames and Jr. Henry Rosemont
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789888028931
- eISBN:
- 9789882209800
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028931.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter responds negatively to the question entitling it. While the vocabulary of virtue ethics for describing the early Confucian vision of the moral life (dào) is superior to those linked to ...
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This chapter responds negatively to the question entitling it. While the vocabulary of virtue ethics for describing the early Confucian vision of the moral life (dào) is superior to those linked to Kantian or utilitarian principle-based ethical theories, that vocabulary, too, forces the Master and his followers more into the mold of Western philosophical discourse than they ought to be placed and hence makes it difficult to see the Confucian vision as a genuine alternative to those with which we are most familiar. The chapter claims that early (pre-Buddhist) Confucianism is best described as a role ethics. This role ethics is sui generis in both philosophy and religion, East and West, and it embodies a specific vision of human beings as relational persons constituted by the roles they live rather than as individual selves.Less
This chapter responds negatively to the question entitling it. While the vocabulary of virtue ethics for describing the early Confucian vision of the moral life (dào) is superior to those linked to Kantian or utilitarian principle-based ethical theories, that vocabulary, too, forces the Master and his followers more into the mold of Western philosophical discourse than they ought to be placed and hence makes it difficult to see the Confucian vision as a genuine alternative to those with which we are most familiar. The chapter claims that early (pre-Buddhist) Confucianism is best described as a role ethics. This role ethics is sui generis in both philosophy and religion, East and West, and it embodies a specific vision of human beings as relational persons constituted by the roles they live rather than as individual selves.
Henry Rosemont and Roger T. Ames
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832841
- eISBN:
- 9780824869953
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832841.003.0019
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This book is a philosophical translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence). It articulates a specifically Confucian conception of “role ethics,” which takes as its starting point and as ...
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This book is a philosophical translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence). It articulates a specifically Confucian conception of “role ethics,” which takes as its starting point and as its inspiration the perceived necessity of family feeling as ground in the development of the moral life. This introduction discusses the historical, philosophical, and religious dimensions of the Classic of Family Reverence and presents a lexicon of key terms. It first explains why we should study the Classic of Family Reverence before turning to Confucius’s insights about family reverence, friendship, education, and community as well as Master Zeng’s compilation of the Classic of Family Reverence. It then examines family reverence, or xiao, in classical Confucianism, along with its sociopolitical, ethical, and religious dimensions. It also looks at some of the key terms employed in classical Chinese philosophical discourse that have immediate relevance for understanding the language of the Classic of Family Reverence.Less
This book is a philosophical translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence). It articulates a specifically Confucian conception of “role ethics,” which takes as its starting point and as its inspiration the perceived necessity of family feeling as ground in the development of the moral life. This introduction discusses the historical, philosophical, and religious dimensions of the Classic of Family Reverence and presents a lexicon of key terms. It first explains why we should study the Classic of Family Reverence before turning to Confucius’s insights about family reverence, friendship, education, and community as well as Master Zeng’s compilation of the Classic of Family Reverence. It then examines family reverence, or xiao, in classical Confucianism, along with its sociopolitical, ethical, and religious dimensions. It also looks at some of the key terms employed in classical Chinese philosophical discourse that have immediate relevance for understanding the language of the Classic of Family Reverence.
George Mavrotas (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199580934
- eISBN:
- 9780191723346
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199580934.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Foreign aid is one of the few topics in the development discourse with such an uninterrupted, yet volatile history in terms of interest and attention from academics, policymakers, and practitioners ...
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Foreign aid is one of the few topics in the development discourse with such an uninterrupted, yet volatile history in terms of interest and attention from academics, policymakers, and practitioners alike. Does aid work in promoting growth and reducing poverty in the developing world? Will a new ‘big push’ approach accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals or will another opportunity be missed? Can the lessons of almost half a century of aid giving be learnt? These are truly important questions in view of the emerging new landscape in foreign aid lately as well as recent developments related to the global financial crisis, which are expected to have far reaching implications for both donors and recipients engaged in this area. Against this shifting aid landscape, there is a pressing need to evaluate progress to date and shed new light on emerging issues and agendas. This volume brings together leading experts in this area to review the progress achieved so far, identify the challenges ahead, and discuss the emerging policy agenda in foreign aid. A central conclusion emanating from this important as well as timely volume is that, since development aid remains crucial for many developing countries, a huge effort is needed from both donors and aid recipients to overcome the inefficiencies and make aid work better for poor people. After all, as global citizens, we have a moral obligation to do the best we can to lift people out of poverty in the developing world. The findings of this book will be of considerable interest to professionals and policymakers engaged in policy reforms in foreign aid, and provide an essential one-stop reference for students of development, international finance, and economics.Less
Foreign aid is one of the few topics in the development discourse with such an uninterrupted, yet volatile history in terms of interest and attention from academics, policymakers, and practitioners alike. Does aid work in promoting growth and reducing poverty in the developing world? Will a new ‘big push’ approach accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals or will another opportunity be missed? Can the lessons of almost half a century of aid giving be learnt? These are truly important questions in view of the emerging new landscape in foreign aid lately as well as recent developments related to the global financial crisis, which are expected to have far reaching implications for both donors and recipients engaged in this area. Against this shifting aid landscape, there is a pressing need to evaluate progress to date and shed new light on emerging issues and agendas. This volume brings together leading experts in this area to review the progress achieved so far, identify the challenges ahead, and discuss the emerging policy agenda in foreign aid. A central conclusion emanating from this important as well as timely volume is that, since development aid remains crucial for many developing countries, a huge effort is needed from both donors and aid recipients to overcome the inefficiencies and make aid work better for poor people. After all, as global citizens, we have a moral obligation to do the best we can to lift people out of poverty in the developing world. The findings of this book will be of considerable interest to professionals and policymakers engaged in policy reforms in foreign aid, and provide an essential one-stop reference for students of development, international finance, and economics.
Henry Jr. Rosemont and Roger T. Ames
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832841
- eISBN:
- 9780824869953
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832841.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
Few if any philosophical schools have championed family values as persistently as the early Confucians, and a great deal can be learned by attending to what they had to say on the subject. In the ...
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Few if any philosophical schools have championed family values as persistently as the early Confucians, and a great deal can be learned by attending to what they had to say on the subject. In the Confucian tradition, human morality and the personal realization it inspires are grounded in the cultivation of family feeling. One may even go so far as to say that, for China, family reverence was a necessary condition for developing any of the other human qualities of excellence. On the basis of the present translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence) and supplemental passages found in other early philosophical writings, this book articulate a specifically Confucian conception of “role ethics” that, in its emphasis on a relational conception of the person, is markedly different from most early and contemporary dominant Western moral theories. This Confucian role ethics takes as its inspiration the perceived necessity of family feeling as the entry point in the development of moral competence and as a guide to the religious life as well. The introduction offers a perspective on the historical, philosophical, and religious dimensions of the Xiaojing. A lexicon of key terms presents a context for the Xiaojing and provides guidelines for interpreting the text historically in China as well as suggesting its contemporary significance for all societies. The inclusion of the Chinese text adds another dimension.Less
Few if any philosophical schools have championed family values as persistently as the early Confucians, and a great deal can be learned by attending to what they had to say on the subject. In the Confucian tradition, human morality and the personal realization it inspires are grounded in the cultivation of family feeling. One may even go so far as to say that, for China, family reverence was a necessary condition for developing any of the other human qualities of excellence. On the basis of the present translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence) and supplemental passages found in other early philosophical writings, this book articulate a specifically Confucian conception of “role ethics” that, in its emphasis on a relational conception of the person, is markedly different from most early and contemporary dominant Western moral theories. This Confucian role ethics takes as its inspiration the perceived necessity of family feeling as the entry point in the development of moral competence and as a guide to the religious life as well. The introduction offers a perspective on the historical, philosophical, and religious dimensions of the Xiaojing. A lexicon of key terms presents a context for the Xiaojing and provides guidelines for interpreting the text historically in China as well as suggesting its contemporary significance for all societies. The inclusion of the Chinese text adds another dimension.
