Professor of the School of Humanities at Tongji University; Major research fields: Pre-Qin Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Qing Dynasty Scholasticism, Social Theory and Religious Studies; Selected works: A Review of Confucianism and Classics Studies (2013) [Chinese], Neo-Confucianism (2009) [Chinese].

Speech Abstract

 On the Universality of Confucian Ethics and Its Economic Foundation

According to historical records and archaeological materials, the ethical requirements for group life of the Chinese people have always been in flux. Even after Confucius, Confucian ethics found a variety of different expressions. However, we can still observe Confucians pursing a universal ethics and attempting to develop more abstract concepts. The notions of “making the familiar familiar” or “honoring the honored” of the pre-Qin period and more the abstract concepts of “humanity” and “respect” are all examples of this. These ethical requirements emerged out of the Chinese people’s understanding of their specific mode of living, and in every individual ethical regulation we can observe underlying economic conditions and social realities. This essay has collected relevant ancient ritual and legal materials to reveal the economic foundations embodied in the ancient ethics, and in light of current world conditions explore the possibility of building an ethics for the new age.