Respect for Older Persons:

Most readily available literature on the subject of the status of older persons and the respect accorded to them is written within the framework of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The result is a possible inclination to universalize to all people concepts and experiences that are unique to one cultural tradition. This paper reviews a totally different cultural and ethical basis of respect for older persons, the Confucian tradition; and traces the history of that tradition through 2000 years of one oriental society: Korea.