Confucian Humanism: An Outline
Abstract
The paper presents several principal elements of humanism as seen in the light of Confucian philosophy. The author refers to Confucius’s Analects and to two other leading proponents of Confucianism – Mencius and Xunzi, as well as to contemporary relevant literature. The text first focuses on the understanding of human nature that has been assessed differently – as good or bad but always subject to the process of self-cultivation. Only the man that deserves the name of a gentleman (junzi) reaches full personhood. Man as a person is perceived not so much in terms of rationality and self-consciousness but rather as a human being with high moral faculties – fully developed humaneness (benevolence), righteousness and a strong moral will. In the Confucian humanist vision man is a naturally social being that is never separated from society and the whole reality, particularly embedded in and formed by the family. Due to the absence of a creation myth Confucianism is regarded as a secular concept of human life though not totally deprived of a transcendent dimension however specifically comprehended.
Keywords:
Humanism, Confucianism, morality, man, human nature, person, social life, Confucius, Mencius, XunziReferences
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