Toward a Gongfu Reconstruction of Confucianism —Responses to Comments by Huang Yong,Fan Ruiping,and Wang Qingjie

Responding to comments of my recent book, Understanding the Analects of Confucius, by Huang Yong, Fan Ruiping, and Wang Qingjie, this paper looks to highlight one of its major features—that it is a contemporary continuation of the Chinese tradition of doing commentary both as a way of allowing classic texts to unfold their rich meanings in the context of different times, and as a way for the commentator to express his or her own views. It strives to explain how a gongfu reconstruction of Confucianism can explain the apparent inconsistency between advocating rule-like instructions next to its encouragement of the art of flexibility, and to reveal what is more fundamental about Confucianism—rather than a system of rigid moral rules, it is an art of life. This gongfu interpretation would lead to the view that Confucianism does not depend on metaphysical truths as its justification, although it does need to hold metaphysical views as a way of affirming its values, which are justified through the excellence of life to which they lead. While the gongfu approach more accurately reflects Confucius’ own philosophical orientation, and it is therefore used to determine technical details such as what interpretations to put into translation of a text and what interpretations to list in the annotations as alternatives, it is, in the author’s humble view, also a unique contribution that the Chinese tradition can offer to world philosophy.     

Beyond Therapy and Enhancement: The Alteration of Human Nature

With the rapid progress and considerable promise of nanobiotechnology/neurosciences there is the potential of transforming the very nature of human beings and of how humans can conceive of themselves as rational animals through technological innovations. The interface between humans and machines (neuro-digital interface), can potentially alter what it means to be human, i.e., the very idea of human nature and of normal functioning will be changed. In this paper, I argue that we are potentially on the verge of a paradigm shift in terms of the ends and goals of techno-science and its applications in the biomedical sciences. In particular, the development of brain-computer interfaces could reconceptualize the very notion of what it means to be human. Hence, we should not limit our reflections of applications in terms of therapy and enhancement but also include an examination of applications aiming at the alteration of human nature. To this end I will first delineate the potential paradigm shift and then map out four distinct clusters of concerns in relation to the brain-computer interface. Finally, I argue that our moral and philosophical reflections should follow a procedural model based on managed consensus due to our pluralistic context.

Learning by looking: Infants' social looking behavior across the transition from crawling to walking

This study investigated how infants gather information about their environment through looking and how that changes with increases in motor skills. In Experiment 1, 9.5- and 14-month-olds participated in a 10-min free play session with both a stranger and ambiguous toys present. There was a significant developmental progression from passive to active social engagement, as evidenced by younger infants watching others communicate more and older infants making more bids for social interaction. Experiment 2 examined longitudinally the impact of age and walking onset on this progression. The transition to independent walking marked significant changes in how often infants watched others communicate and made active bids for social interaction. Results suggest that infants transition from passive observers as crawlers to active participants in their social environment with the onset of walking.     

UNIQUENESS IN CONTEXT

Wentzel van Huyssteen's Gifford Lectures, published as Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology, accomplish critical and constructive thinking about interdisciplinary reflection on science and religion and about the meaning of human uniqueness. One approach to discussion of van Huyssteen's text entails consideration of three issues: the contextual character of research on humans and animals, the difficult problem of defining uniqueness, and the important consequences of exploring human uniqueness. Evolutionary biology and primatology contribute specific scientific insights.     

INCREASING OUR COMPASSION FOOTPRINT: THE ANIMALS' MANIFESTO

Our relationships with animals are wide‐ranging. When people tell me that they love animals and then harm or kill them I tell them I'm glad they don't love me. Many individuals, including scientists, ignore their responsibility when they interact with animals and fail to recognize that doing something in the name of science, which usually means in the name of humans, is not an adequate reason for intentionally causing suffering, pain, or death. “Good welfare” usually is not “good enough”. Existing regulations allow animals to be treated in regrettable ways that demean us as a species. Compassion is the key for bettering both animal and human lives. A good way to make the world a more compassionate place for animals is to increase our compassion footprint. We could begin by deciding that we will not intrude on animals' lives unless our actions are in the best interests of the animals irrespective of our desires. It is simple to make more compassionate choices about what we eat and wear and how we educate students, conduct research, and entertain ourselves at the expense of animals. The time to make these changes is long overdue.     

关于进化论的生命科学质疑

现代科学远未弄清楚生命是什么,所以,肯定生命是偶然生成的观点是不符合时代的科学精神的。遗传变异不能产生新的物种,也没有证据表明基因突变导致生物进化产生了新物种。按照小群突变的新达尔文主义来推断人类进化,既缺乏事实根据,也有悖于逻辑推理。     

人乳头瘤病毒在食管癌发病中作用机制研究进展

食管癌的发生涉及到多种因素多个步骤的病理过程,是多种因素相互作用导致正常细胞恶变的结果。人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）在食管癌变过程中起重要作用。现从流行病学、分子生物学、肿瘤学等方面对HPV在食管癌变过程中的作用机制作一综述。     

“人体器官移植工作体系”框架的初步构想及其伦理使命

借鉴国内外相关成功经验,结合我国实际情况,对“人体器官移植工作体系”的构成以及各系统职能进行初步探讨。研究了该体系在阻止人体器官商业化、提高人体移植器官分配的公平高效性等方面发挥的作用。     

非法人体试验行为的刑法规制

非法人体试验行为具有严重的社会危害性,而现行刑法又无法全面进行规制,致使该行为得不到公正的处理,影响了刑法预防犯罪目标的实现。根据犯罪化所应当具备的社会危害性、刑法谦让性原则等条件以及国际立法经验,建议刑法修正后增加非法人体试验罪,并参照非法行医罪的法定刑进行刑罚设置。     

论医院管理的人文特征

医院是人类最需人文关怀的场所。医院管理的内在本质特征在于其人文性——以人为本,即对内管理以员工为本,以尊重医院员工为根本,以关爱医院员工为重心,对外服务以患者为本,医院管理以患者为中心,医者行医以患者为中心。理清和认识医院管理的人文内涵与特征,是医院建设的重要认识任务和基础使命。