Trichotomy_of_the_Analects
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As I read more books, I realized that Frankena’s dilemma was anticipated by David Hume. In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume asserted that in every system of morality he has met, judgments of truth and falsehood are often confused with moral judgments; however, they are completely different, the former connected by “is” (or “is not”) while the latter by “ought” (or “ought not”). When making deductions in a moral judgment, people o en unconsciously shi from “ought” to “is.” Hume says, “For as this ‘ought’ (or ‘ought not’) expresses some new relation or affirmation, it needs to be pointed out and explained; and a reason should be given for how this new relation can be—inconceivably!— a deduction from others that are entirely di erent from it.”3 Hume’s observation is highly important for it raises the question whether morality is derived from reason. For Hume, the answer is no, because morality is supposed to in uence people’s actions, going beyond their calm inactive judgments. In a word, morals have an in uence on people’s actions and feelings, but reason alone cannot do so, because it is inactive.
Trichotomy of the Analects: The Root of the Confucian Ethics of
Production and Reproduction
Yang Zebo
Abstract: Di ering from Western moral philosophy, which is shaped by the dichotomy of reason and emotion, Confucianism, since its founding, has embraced an inherent tripartite structure of intellectuality, human desire, and benevolence. It is essential to extrapolate this structure from the Analects, to demonstrate the distinguishing features of Confucian ideas.
Yang Zebo is professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Philosophy at Fudan University. E-mail: yzbfd@ 1 Yang Zebo 杨泽波, Introduction to the Confucian Ethics of Production and Reproduction [儒家生生伦理学引论]
e trichotomy helps to explain why Confucius is not faced with Hume’s ethical dilemma, offering unique Confucian wisdom to solve the dilemma which has plagued Western philosophy over hundreds of years; moreover, it provides a perspective to understand the development of Confucianism in terms of “two streams from one source,” which synthesizes both the thoughts of Mencius and Xunzi, and the school of mind and the school of principle, thus putting an end to the ongoing dispute over which is the orthodox teachings of Confucius. Keywords: Confucius, trichotomy, Confucian ethics of production and reproduction
A knowledge of Hume’s argument puts Frankena’s dilemma into perspective. To prove the rational basis of morality, Frankena comes up with an invented dialogue, and states that if a person is rational, calm, and cool, he shall agree to live a moral life which is excellent and admirable. Things may become complicated when the person in that ideal rational state retorts: “Why should I be rational?” However, Frankena thinks this asking is unsound, for by asking that question, one is implicitly committing oneself to rationality. From the above, it can be seen that Frankena sets his argument entirely on the basis of people’s conformity to reason. is line of argument is not without problems. Consider the scenario: if a person commits himself to rationality, he may still say: “I am rational, calm and cool. I have a sense of right and wrong. But why should I do it? Is not it all right if I do not do it?”
is paper is a preliminary result of Studies on the Genealogy of Confucianism from the Perspective of Trichotomy [三分法视 域下的儒学谱系研究], a Guoxue project supported by the 2018 Guizhou Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Program (Project No. 18GZGX18).
‘ e Apple Falling on My Head’ [Refer to page 19 for Chinese. Similarly hereina er]
It was a question which dawned upon me in the 1980s, when I was a postgraduate student in the School of Philosophy at Fudan University, that led me in a path of philosophical inquiry
My recent research on the xin–xing 心性 (Confucian theory of the mind and human nature) philosophy culminates in the book titled Introduction to the Confucian Ethics of Production and Reproduction [儒家生生伦理学引论].1 In this book, I contend that trichotomy is at the root of Confucian ethics of production and reproduction. is paper discusses how I teased out the trichotomy of the Analal Press, 2020).
13
Copyright©博看网. All Rights Reserved.
C
A
V . , N . (2021)
into the xin–xing philosophy, and eventually to construct the Confucian ethics of production and reproduction. I still remember Professor H. Gene Blocker was invited to lecture on ethics. He used the textbook Ethics written by William K. Frankena, a well-known American expert on moral philosophy. e last section in the sixth chapter of the book is titled “Why Be Moral?” For Frankena, to answer the question, one should bear in mind that “morally good or right action is one kind of excellent activity and hence is a prime candidate for election as part of any good life, especially since it is a kind of excellent activity of which all normal people are capable.”2 In short, since morally good action is excellent, one ought to act morally in pursuit of a good life. However, Frankena’s argument is not very convincing due to inadequate solid proof.
Trichotomy of the Analects: The Root of the Confucian Ethics of
Production and Reproduction
Yang Zebo
Abstract: Di ering from Western moral philosophy, which is shaped by the dichotomy of reason and emotion, Confucianism, since its founding, has embraced an inherent tripartite structure of intellectuality, human desire, and benevolence. It is essential to extrapolate this structure from the Analects, to demonstrate the distinguishing features of Confucian ideas.
Yang Zebo is professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Philosophy at Fudan University. E-mail: yzbfd@ 1 Yang Zebo 杨泽波, Introduction to the Confucian Ethics of Production and Reproduction [儒家生生伦理学引论]
e trichotomy helps to explain why Confucius is not faced with Hume’s ethical dilemma, offering unique Confucian wisdom to solve the dilemma which has plagued Western philosophy over hundreds of years; moreover, it provides a perspective to understand the development of Confucianism in terms of “two streams from one source,” which synthesizes both the thoughts of Mencius and Xunzi, and the school of mind and the school of principle, thus putting an end to the ongoing dispute over which is the orthodox teachings of Confucius. Keywords: Confucius, trichotomy, Confucian ethics of production and reproduction
A knowledge of Hume’s argument puts Frankena’s dilemma into perspective. To prove the rational basis of morality, Frankena comes up with an invented dialogue, and states that if a person is rational, calm, and cool, he shall agree to live a moral life which is excellent and admirable. Things may become complicated when the person in that ideal rational state retorts: “Why should I be rational?” However, Frankena thinks this asking is unsound, for by asking that question, one is implicitly committing oneself to rationality. From the above, it can be seen that Frankena sets his argument entirely on the basis of people’s conformity to reason. is line of argument is not without problems. Consider the scenario: if a person commits himself to rationality, he may still say: “I am rational, calm and cool. I have a sense of right and wrong. But why should I do it? Is not it all right if I do not do it?”
is paper is a preliminary result of Studies on the Genealogy of Confucianism from the Perspective of Trichotomy [三分法视 域下的儒学谱系研究], a Guoxue project supported by the 2018 Guizhou Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Program (Project No. 18GZGX18).
‘ e Apple Falling on My Head’ [Refer to page 19 for Chinese. Similarly hereina er]
It was a question which dawned upon me in the 1980s, when I was a postgraduate student in the School of Philosophy at Fudan University, that led me in a path of philosophical inquiry
My recent research on the xin–xing 心性 (Confucian theory of the mind and human nature) philosophy culminates in the book titled Introduction to the Confucian Ethics of Production and Reproduction [儒家生生伦理学引论].1 In this book, I contend that trichotomy is at the root of Confucian ethics of production and reproduction. is paper discusses how I teased out the trichotomy of the Analal Press, 2020).
13
Copyright©博看网. All Rights Reserved.
C
A
V . , N . (2021)
into the xin–xing philosophy, and eventually to construct the Confucian ethics of production and reproduction. I still remember Professor H. Gene Blocker was invited to lecture on ethics. He used the textbook Ethics written by William K. Frankena, a well-known American expert on moral philosophy. e last section in the sixth chapter of the book is titled “Why Be Moral?” For Frankena, to answer the question, one should bear in mind that “morally good or right action is one kind of excellent activity and hence is a prime candidate for election as part of any good life, especially since it is a kind of excellent activity of which all normal people are capable.”2 In short, since morally good action is excellent, one ought to act morally in pursuit of a good life. However, Frankena’s argument is not very convincing due to inadequate solid proof.