Ren, empathy and the agent-relative approach in Confucian ethics
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Asian Philosophy: An International Journal of the Philosophical Traditions of the East
Publication Date
5-1-2012
Volume
22
Issue
2
First Page
133
Last Page
141
Publisher
Routledge
Abstract
The recent debate on whether Confucian Ethics should be viewed as a type of virtue ethics inevitably touches on the issue of the meaning of virtues such as ren 仁, yi 義, and li 禮. However, the argument would be over-simplified to claim that since Confucianism puts significant weight on virtues then it is virtue ethics. The conclusion would mainly depend on how we understand the key concepts such as ren, yi and the roles they play in the ethical life of humans. Some scholars interpret ren as benevolence, yet others interpret it as empathy. In this paper, I will make a scrutiny of these concepts and their implications. My primary aim is to discern the characteristics of Confucian ethics, rather than to classify it into some categories that are largely constructs of contemporary philosophy.
DOI
10.1080/09552367.2012.692537
Print ISSN
09552367
E-ISSN
14692961
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2012 Taylor & Francis
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Wong, W. Y. (2012). Ren, empathy and the agent-relative approach in Confucian ethics. Asian Philosophy: An International Journal of the Philosophical Traditions of the East, 22(2), 133-141. doi: 10.1080/09552367.2012.692537