Confucius’ Moral Philosophy on Foundations, Core Values and Contemporary Significance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18012/arf.v12i3.77588Palavras-chave:
Confucian ethics, ren, li, yi, moral philosophy, East Asian thought, virtue ethicsResumo
Confucius’ moral philosophy is one of the most influential ethical traditions in East Asia and continues to inform contemporary discussions on human development, social harmony and moral responsibility. Although formulated during a period of political disorder, his teachings present a systematic model of moral cultivation that links personal virtue with relational ethics and stable governance. This article offers a concise examination of Confucius’ ethical thought through content analysis of classical texts and engagement with historical, comparative and modern scholarship. Central virtues such as ren, li, yi, zhi and xin are interpreted as an integrated framework for shaping the moral self and building harmonious communities. The study also reviews key academic debates in both Eastern and Western traditions. Despite limitations associated with hierarchy and patriarchal norms, Confucian ethics remains relevant to contemporary issues in public administration, leadership, civic education and organizational culture. The analysis concludes that Confucius’ focus on character formation, relational responsibility and humane governance offers meaningful guidance for addressing modern challenges, including declining trust and the fragmentation of shared moral values in an increasingly globalized world.
Downloads
Referências
Bockover, M. I. (2010). Confucianism and ethics in the Western philosophical tradition I: Foundational concepts. Philosophy Compass, 5(4), 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2010.00295.x
Chan, A. (1996). Confucianism and development in East Asia. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 26(1), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472339680000031
He, H. (2015). Social ethics in a changing China: Moral decay or ethical awakening? Bloomsbury Publishing USA. https://byvn.net/dAri
Kim, H. K. (2003). Critical thinking, learning and Confucius: A positive assessment. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 37(1), 71–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.3701005
Koczkás, S. (2023). Confucianism: Ancient ideology or driving force of the future? A scoping review on the effect of Confucian culture on innovation. Society and Economy, 45(4), 411–431. https://doi.org/10.1556/204.2023.00021
Li, C. (2013). The Confucian philosophy of harmony. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315886619
Lin, L. H., & Ho, Y. L. (2013). Confucian dynamism, culture and ethical changes in Chinese societies: A comparative study of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Making Sense of Human Resource Management in China (pp. 234–249). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315875392-15/confucian-dynamism-culture-ethical-changes-chinese-societies-comparative-study-china-taiwan-hong-kong-liang-hung-lin-yu-ling-ho
Reed, G. G. (1995). Moral/political education in the People’s Republic of China: Learning through role models. Journal of Moral Education, 24(2), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305724950240201
Tan, C. (2021). Mindfulness and morality: Educational insights from Confucius. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2020.1779045
Tsai, D. F. (2005). The bioethical principles and Confucius’ moral philosophy. Journal of Medical Ethics, 31(3), 159–163. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2002.002113
Wong, D. B. (2015). Early Confucian philosophy and the development of compassion. Dao, 14(2), 157–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-015-9438-x
Wong, W. Y. (2012). Ren, empathy and the agent-relative approach in Confucian ethics. Asian Philosophy, 22(2), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2012.692537
Woods, P. R., & Lamond, D. A. (2011). What would Confucius do? Confucian ethics and self-regulation in management. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(4), 669–683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0838-5
Xie, T., Chen, S., Wang, D., & Liu, J. H. (2021). Collective remembering of Confucianism in Chinese language textbooks: Official historical representations from 1949 to 2019. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 15, 1834490921993511. https://doi.org/10.1177/1834490921993511
Yu, J. (2013). The ethics of Confucius and Aristotle: Mirrors of virtue. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203940327
Arquivos adicionais
Publicado
Como Citar
Edição
Seção
Licença
Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Política de Direito Autoral para os itens publicados pela Revista:
1.Esta revista é regida por uma Licença da Creative Commons aplicada a revistas eletrônicas. Esta licença pode ser lida no link a seguir: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
2.Consonante a essa politica, a revista declara que os autores são os detentores do copyright de seus artigos sem restrição, e podem depositar o pós-print de seus artigos em qualquer repositório ou site.
Política de Direito de Uso dos Metadados para informações contidas nos itens do repositório
1. Qualquer pessoa e/ou empresa pode acessar os metadados dos itens publicados gratuitamente e a qulquer tempo.
2.Os metadados podem ser usados sem licença prévia em qualquer meio, mesmo comercialmente, desde que seja oferecido um link para o OAI Identifier ou para o artigo que ele desceve, sob os termos da licença CC BY aplicada à revista.
Os autores que têm seus trabalhos publicados concordam que com todas as declarações e normas da Revista e assumem inteira responsabilidade pelas informações prestadas e ideias veiculadas em seus artigos, em conformidade com a Política de Boas Práticas da Revista.
