Moral Reasoning 40: Confucian HumanismCourse last offered in Spring 2001. OrientationThe course begins with a discussion of the basic assumptions in Confucian ethics: a person is not an isolated individual but a center of relationships, society ought to be a community of trust rather than simply a gathering of interest groups, government should be responsible for the well-being of the people, and world peace is based on humanely ordered states. Underlying these assumptions is a series of claims derived from Confucian ethics that is relevant to us and should be critically examined: moral knowledge is necessary for personal growth, society cannot prosper or endure without developing a sense of duty and responsibility among its members, a pluralistic society should deliberately cultivate shared values and a common ground of human understanding, the earth’s vulnerability raises critical ethical issues, and the emergence of the global community demands that we think globally about ethics. For the purpose of familiarizing ourselves with the Confucian modes of thinking, we will study carefully the Analects, Mencius, Hsun Tzu (Xunzi), the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the selected writings of Chu Hsi (Zhu Xi, 1130-1200) and Wang Yangming (1472-1529). The second part of the course deals with four contemporary issues: human rights, feminism, ecology, and global ethics. While we offer critical reflections on Confucian ethics from these modernist perspectives, we also explore Confucian resources for understanding the human condition and the “imagined” Confucian responses to problems confronting us today. OrganizationThere will be two lectures and one discussion section per week. Course work includes attendance at lectures and discussion sections, required readings, three short papers (5-6 pages each), and a final examination. Suggested topics for the papers and potential examination questions will be handed out in advance. Grading15% for participation in section, 15% for each for the three papers, and 40% for the final examination. Lecture ScheduleFebruary 1 (Th) The Confucian Way: Learning to be Human March 1 (Th) Rightness as Fairness (yi) April 3 (Tu) Zhu Xi: Reverence and the ”Investigation of Things” May 1 (Tu) Dialogue among Civilizations Required TextsThe Moral Reasoning 40 Reader. Gardner, Daniel K., tr., Learning to be a Sage: Selections from the Conversations of Master Chu (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990). Fingarette, Herbert, Confucius: The Secular as Sacred (New York: Harper and Row, 1972). Lau, D.C. tr., Mencius (New York: Penguin books, 1970) Leys, Simon, tr., The Analects of Confucius (New York: Norton, 1997). Tu, Wei-ming, Centrality and Commonality: An Essay on Confucian Religiousness (Albany: SUNY, 1989). Recommended TextsBerthrong, John H., Transformations of the Confucian Way (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998). Ivanhoe, P. J., Confucian Moral Self-Cultivation (New York: Peter Lang, 1993). Neville, Robert C., Boston Confucianism (Albany: SUNY, 2000). Tu Wei-ming, Humanity and Self-Cultivation (reprint; Boston: Cheng and Tsui, 1999). Tucker, Mary Evelyn and John Berthrong, eds., Confucianism and Ecology: The Interelation of Heaven, Earth, and Human (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, 1998). Reading AssignmentsWeek 2 (Feb. 5) Huston Smith, “Confucianism” (MR 40 Reader) Week 3 (Feb. 12) Simon Leys, tr., The Analects of Confucius Week 4 (Feb. 19) Herbert Fingarette, Confucius: The Secular as Sacred Week 5 (Feb. 26) D.C. Lau, tr., Mencius Week 6 (Mar. 5) D.C. Lau, tr., Mencius Week 7 (Mar. 12) Burton Watson, tr., Hsun Tzu First Paper Due on March 13 Week 8 (Mar. 19) Tu Weiming, Centrality and Commonality Week 9 (Mar. 26) Spring Break Week 10 (Apr. 2) Daniel Gardner, tr., Learning to be a Sage Second Paper Due on April 3 Week 11 (Apr. 9) Ezra Vogel, “Toward an Explanation” (MR40 Reader) Week 12 (Apr. 16) Henry Rosemont, “Classical Confucian and Contemporary Feminist Perspectives on the Self: Some Parallels and Their Implications” (MR40 Reader) Week 13 (Apr. 23) Mary Evelyn Tucker, “Earth Charter” (MR40 Reader) Week 14 (Apr. 30) Hans Küng, “Declaration of the Religions for a Global Ethic” (MR40 Reader) Third Paper Due on May 3 Final Exam (TBD)
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