Ethic-s, Rel~tivilim,dnd the Self

Confucian Ethics and Comparative Philosophy

Confucius ~ n the
d Absence ofdn Abstract Concept of Self
In general, the Western approach to morality is markedly different from that
of Confucius,lT For one tiling, unlike Western el.hics, Coxtfuciusk teachings
are not theoretical. Instead, he provided a timelessly influential and nonab-
stract method for living a good life-a hrrmane life. This teaching is some-
&ing that Westerners can (and indeed have) come eo undersland and value,
Specifically, Confucius employed "down to earth" language to describe how
human beings can interact with each other in a harmoniow, civilized way.
His teaching can be explained in eerms of two ideas central to Confucialr
philosophy: ii and jen.18 For the Chinese these principles are essentially
manifest in inteqersonai conduct.
Li has been transIated as rite, ritual, ceremony, propriety, and right con-
duct; and jen, as goodness, ~lobility,he~levolence,and humaneness. But most
important, the concepts of li and jen are essentially related and cannot be
fully understood independently from one another. Confucius sometimes
spoke of them separately, however, as we will see in various passages from
the Anakcts. For this reason I, too, will examine li and jen as separately as
possible by discussing tbe major rhemcs of each as they are derived from
Confucius's work.
The following are some themes of li found in the Analects (Book:Section).
(a) Li is used as a guide to govern or to rule: (23); (3:19), (4:13), (13:6), (I5:4),
(15:17). (h) Li is a rimal wessel (urensil): (5:3), (15:I). (c) Those who are jen
(good, noble, benevolent) are restrained by ii, and submission to li is needed
in order to be jen: (3:3), (6:25), (8:2), (9: IQ),02:I). fd) Li is more than &c be-
havior; it requires the right emotion and reverence: (2:7), (2:8), (3:4), (3:1 I),
(3:12), (3:26), (9:3), (37:II). (e) Li establishes one as a human being; it gives
one firm fuoting: (24); (g:%), (16:13), (20:3), And (J) g e n e r a ~ a~ power;
s that
is, it establishes te ("moral"'9 power): (2: I), (3: 1I), (4: 1l), (12: 19).
We are informed in the Analects that li or ritual is essential to living a dis-
tinctiveIy human life. And most crucialIy, living a dislinceively human Iifc
means living in dignified harmony wirh others. Li is thus relational: It entails
appropriate patterns of conduct for the great variety of human relation-
ships." Of course, ii will vary, depending on the relation at hand. Coniuchs
believed that our distinctively human roles were defined by our relation to
others and, moreover, that these roles define the "person" him- or herself.
For example, to be a mothcr, one must have a child; ta be a teacher, one must
have a student; to be a friend, one nlusr liave a friend. And insofar as one is a
mother, a teacher, a friend, there are certain ways in which she should con-
duct herself-%rays &at are "'yr~.scribedby k"