Confucian Order at the Edge of Chaos: The Science of Complexity and Ancient Wisdom

Many academics extol chaos theory and the science of complexity as significant scientific advances with application in such diverse fields as biology, anthropology, economics, and history. In this paper we focus our attention on structure-within-chaos and the dynamic self-organization of complex systems in the context of social philosophy. Although the modern formulation of the science of complexity has developed out of late-twentieth-century physics and computational mathematics, its roots may extend much deeper into classical thinking. We argue here that the essential ideas and predictions of the science of complexity are found within the social ordering principle of li (the rites) in Confucius's Analects .     

The Role Dilemma in Early Confucianism

Recently, Sean Cordell has raised a problem for Aristotelians who seriously consider social roles: When the demands of the role conflict with the demands of morality, which norms ought one follow? However, this problem, which I call the role dilemma, is not specific to Aristotelians. Classical Confucians face a similar problem. How do Confucians resolve conflicts between the demands of humaneness (ren 仁) and the demands of social roles and the social norms (li 礼) that govern these roles? Confucians who favor humaneness, maintaining that other demands are defeasible, offer an externalism about roles. This response is similar to the Aristotelian argument that the demands of human excellence trump other demands. Consequently, Confucian externalism collapses into a virtue ethic. Confucians who favor the demands of li offer an internalism about roles. However, internalism is undesirable because it implies relativism and condones oppressive social institutions. The Confucian role ethicist must offer a tenable solution that steers clear of the pitfalls of both externalism and internalism. Although I do not advance a solution here, I believe a tenable alternative exists. The goals of this paper, instead, are to demonstrate that classical Confucians face the role dilemma and to initiate a discussion about the theoretical apparatus required of Confucian role ethics in order to distinguish it from other ethical theories. I conclude with some programmatic remarks about additional questions and problems that ought to be addressed.     

Authenticity in the Zhuangzi ? Contemporary Misreadings of Zhen 真and an Alternative to Existentialism

This essay reviews the Zhuangzian notion of zhen 真, often through the text’s advancement of the zhenren 真人 (“genuine person,” “true person”) or zhenzhi 真知 (“genuine knowledge,” “true knowledge”). Contemporary scholarship, in both Chinese and English, often presents zhen as analogous to the existentialist theory of authenticity, which correspondingly reflects on interpretations of the “self,” and thereby the zhen person. Much of the Zhuangzi is a reaction to the Lunyu, including an ironic response to the Confucian cultivation project. If we establish our interpretation of the “self” against this background then we find that zhen in the Zhuangzi is actually used to argue against the Confucian identification of the person and self through social roles or conventions. However, advocating zhen does not suggest that there is some essential or core “self” to refer to; instead, it implies a natural state of responsiveness where the person acts efficaciously by being in line with what is obvious or affirmed in the situation. This essay thereby presents a reading of zhen that is historically and culturally consistent, and sets up the Zhuangzi as an alternative, and not an echo, to some of the major issues dealt with by the existentialist movement.     

Principlism,Pragmatism, or Reconstructionist Confucianism? —Some Comments on Ni Peimin’s English Translation of the Analects

This essay provides a few critical points of view on Ni Peimin’s recent English translation of the Analects. It shows that his translations of ren into “human-heartedness” and of li into “ritual propriety” may indicate a willingness to recast these Confucian concepts in the modern ideology of western subjectivism or individualism, whereas Confucianism is not in the direction of such ideologies. Moreover, while Ni seems to offer a “no-rule” view of Confucian virtue ethics, he cannot deny the existence of moral rules and principles in the Confucian system. It is insufficient for him to emphasize the importance of Confucian “instructions” or “methods” as he does without explicating their relations to Confucian rules. Additionally, Ni’s gongfu Confucianism provides a necessary and healthy step back from the contemporary principlism that has been dominant and popular in contemporary politics, ethics, and applied ethics, but Ni goes too far in denying the importance of the moral rules and principles that are implicit or explicit in the Confucian ritual practices and upheld in Confucius’s Analects.     

先秦音乐与儒家的礼乐理想

中国古代音乐的基本理论在先秦时期已初具系统。从音律上看,先秦音乐与现代音乐或西方古代音乐不存在本质上的不同,但在音阶的选用上,人们把“五声”视为最理想的音阶,所追求的音乐意念是“和”。先秦儒家在继承周代礼乐制度的基础上提出了“礼以别宜、乐以敦和”的礼乐理想作为治国平天下的基本途径,不仅使礼乐之间的互补关系得到进一步发展,还使“乐”的含义发生了深刻的转化。所谓乐,不仅指声音的和谐,更重要的是内心的愉悦,即“无声之乐”。它所强调的是个人对差别性社会规范即礼的发自内心的认同,并从生活践履中获得和乐的内在体验。     

王弼《易》注用《庄》论

《庄子》一书对王弼《周易注》的影响体现在王弼的注解方法、"理"概念及其它一些概念和运用上。受《庄子》的启发,王弼"言一象一意"的三层结构既能体察卦象和爻辞之中的深意,也能突破象敷的限制,阐发其中的义理。王弼的统宗会元之理和同理异职之理丰富了"理"概念的内涵,也对以后的宋明理学产生了巨大的影响。其它一些散见的对《庄子》的引用或化用为《周易注》添加玄学色彩之余,也让《庄子》与《周易》之间的联系变得更为紧密。     

《孟子》对戴震《原善》的影响

《孟子》在义理和话语两方面深深影响到戴震的《原善》。戴震将《易传》的“继善成性”与孟子的性善论区别为两个问题,前者是泛论,后者专论人性。受孟子断言“天之生物使之一本”的鼓舞,戴震严厉批评宋儒所谓性分义理、气质两种的学说犯了“二本”的错误。《原善》关于心的论述,关于“仁义礼智圣”和“条理”话语的使用,都鲜明表现出《孟子》的启发和影响。     

Exploring the Non-objectified Character of Dao in the Laozi: A Modem Articulation

This article focuses on the interpretation of heng dao 恆 道 (sometimes translated as "the constant dao") and its fundamental character in the Laozi.It argues against the prevailing interpretation of dao as an unchanging metaphysical substance or reality,and maintains that the fundamental feature of heng dao is both dynamic and eternal.Heng dao is beyond language because of its dynamic character,but the Laozi nevertheless strives to express it in three aspects:1) its flexibility and adaptability as represented in the metaphor of water;2) its movement of reversal and return;3) and in its existential significance as a guide for life.Heng dao can be called the non-objectified dao,which produces law,principle,rule,method,and so on.Looked at in this way,the dynamic character of heng dao can be called non-objective.     

朱熹理学视域中的“乾坤”

朱熹在继承前贤学说的基础上,在其理学视域中对乾坤二卦的意蕴提出了深辟的见解。他指出,乾坤乃是健顺之理,此健顺之理既是天道运行的基本品格,也是人物所本具之性,健顺之道通贯天人。从天人宇宙生化消息的理气关系着眼,朱熹认为"元亨利贞"是理气运化的具体展现,是"一个道理之大纲目",元亨利贞呈现之理即是宇宙生生不息的生理。在他看来,"元亨利贞"的义理关系与《太极图》完全一致,既是在表达一种宇宙本体论,也是在表达一种性情论。以朱熹之见,乾坤健顺之道落实于人生界具有功夫论的意义,是成就人生德业的基本修养途径,既强调刚健进取,又注重虚顺守敬,内外两进。朱熹对健顺之性和健顺功夫的体认最终都被写进《四书章句集注》之中,成为其理学思想的重要内容。     

Pluralism and Ambivalence in the Evolution of Morality

Much good work has been done on the evolution of human morality by focusing on how “selfish genes” can give rise to altruistic human beings. A richer research program is needed, however, to take into account the ambivalence of naturally evolved biopsychological motivators and the historical pluralism of human morality in religious systems. Such a program is described here. A first step is to distinguish the ultimate cause of natural selection from proximate causes that are the results of natural selection. Next, some proximate causes are suggested as possible conditions of biological and emotional valuing as well as of customary social morality and individual rational ethical thought. Finally, different moral perspectives of Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity are briefly presented in order to illustrate how one might inquire about the selection of a variety of biopsychological and cultural proximate causes that enable the evolution of a plurality of religious moral systems.