Moral Feeling in
Confucianism
1
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Moral Feeling
• King Xuan (齊宣王) replace an ox with a
sheep for sacrifice:
“The king was sitting aloft in the hall, when
a man appeared, leading an ox past the
lower part of it. The king saw him and
asked, ‘Where is the ox going?’ The man
replied, ‘We are going to consecrate a bell
with its blood’. The king said, ‘Let it go. I
cannot bear its frightened appearance, as if
it were an innocent person going to the
place of death.’ The man answered, ‘Shall
we then omit the consecration of the bell?’
The king said, ‘How can that be omitted?
Change it for a sheep.’”(Mencius, Book 1A)
Uprightness &
Diversity
2
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
What is the difference
between an ox and a
sheep (goat)?
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
“Your conduct was an artifice
of benevolence (仁術). You saw
the ox, and had not seen the
sheep.” (Mencius, Book 1A)
Mencius, 372-289 BC
3
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
• Ethical Subjectivism:
– Moral opinions are based on our
feeling and nothing more;
– There are no moral fact and no
moral disagreement, i.e. no
objective right and wrong;
– Not a dominant idea in Western
Ethics.
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
4
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
Filial Piety
The root of being good person:
• “…Being good as a son and
obedient as a young man is,
perhaps, the root of a man’s
character.” (Analects, Book I.2)
• “Filial piety is the most
important of all virtues.”
（百行孝為先）
Confucius, 551-479BC
Filial piety (xiao 孝) – virtue of respect for
one’s parents and ancestors.
5
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
• A lifelong duty:
– “When your parents are
alive, comply with the
rites in serving them;
when they die, comply
with rites in burying them
and in offering sacrifices
to them.” (Analects, Book
II.5)
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
– “Only now (before the last
breath) am I sure of being
spared…” (Analects, Book
VIII.3)
6
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
• In reverence:
– “Nowadays for a man to be filial
means no more than that he is able
to provide his parent with food.
Even hounds and horses are, in
some way, provided with food. If a
man shows no reverence, where is
the difference?” (Analects, Book II.7)
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
7
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
• In reverence:
– “What is difficult to manage is
the expression on one’s face.”
(Analects, Book II.8)
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
8
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
• Why filial piety is the most important
virtue?
– The first and the closest human relationship?
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Why we have moral duties towards our
parents?
– Our life is parents’ gift?
– Reciprocity?
Evil Dr. Nam said, “Parents and elders are ‘useless’.”
9
“Learning without thought is
labor lost; thought without
learning is perilous.” (學而不思則
罔，思而不學則殆。)
- Analects, Book II
iPRS #1: Why we have
moral duties towards our
parents?
10
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Outward expression of
innermost heart:
– “Presumably there must have been
cases in ancient times of people not
burying their parents. When the
parents died, they were thrown in
the gullies. Then one day the sons
passed the place and there lay the
bodies, eaten by foxes and sucked
by files. A sweat broke out on their
brows, and they could not bear to
look. The sweating was not put on
for others to see. It was an outward
expression of their innermost
heart.” (Mencius, Book IIIA.5)
11
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Outward expression of innermost
heart:
– “…on one occasion does a man
realize himself to the full…mourning
for one’s parents may be an
exception.” (Analects, Book XIX.17)
“The trees want to remain still, but the wind
do not stop blowing. The children want to
take care of their parents, but their parents
have already walked away.”
- Han shi waizhuan韓詩
外傳
Oscar 2018 Best
Animated Feature Film
12
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Two objections to Confucian
ethics:
1. Moral feeling as moral fact
2. Partiality
What is conscience? Making judgment
with consciences is very dangerous
because our consciences are different,
and someone may even say that I don’t
have a conscience. (Andy Tsang, Former
Commissioner of HKPF)
良心
Good Heart-mind
13
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Debate over three-year mourning
（三年之喪）:
– “Tsai Wo* asked about the three-year
mourning period, saying, ‘Even a full
year is too long. If the gentleman gives
up the practice of the rites for three
years, the rites are sure to be in ruins;
if he gives up the practice of music for
three years, music is sure to collapse. A
full year’s mourning is quite enough…’”
(Analects, Book XVII.21)
*Tsai Wo: Disciple of Confucius, known for his gift in speech
14
Confucian
Ethics
• Three-year mourning:
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
15
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
• Period of mourning (from CNN):
– “The Thai cabinet…is asking the public not to
hold any ‘entertainment activities’ for a
month.”
– “Even on Bangkok’s famous Khao San Road - known for its bright lights, nightclubs and
swarms of backpackers -- the mood was
somber…The usual loud dance music was
absent as nightclubs closed for the night.”
– “According to the palace statement, all
government buildings will fly the Thai flag at
half-staff for 30 days …and all civil servants
have been ordered to wear black clothing for
a year as a sign of mourning.”
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
16
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
• Tsai Wo on three-year
mourning:
– Propose to shorten the threeyear mourning period, i.e. one
year is enough.
– Give up the practice of rites (and
music)* for three years, the
rites are sure to be in ruins.
*Rite and music（禮樂）:
Foundation of social and political system
Uprightness &
Diversity
17
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
Debate over three-year mourning:
How you feel; not the consequence
“(Confucius) said, ‘Would you,
then, be able to enjoy eating your
rice and wearing your finery?’
‘Yes, I would.’ ‘If you are able to
enjoy them, do so by all means.’
After Tsai Wo had left, the Master
said, ‘How unfeeling (不仁) Yu is…’”
Disapprove Tsai Wo’s decision
Analects, Book XVII.21
18
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
• Distinction between Confucian
ethics and ethical subjectivism:
Ethical
Subjectivism
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Fact
No
Moral
Feeling
Moral
Disagreement
Impossible
Possible
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
19
Confucian
Ethics
• For ethical subjectivism, moral opinions
are based on feeling and nothing more.
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• For Confucianism, it’s not based on
feeling only:
– “…Three years’ mourning is observed
throughout the Empire. Was Yu not given
three year’ love by his parents? ”
(Analects, Book XVII.21)
– “Be sure to go carefully into the case of
the man who is disliked by the
multitude…” (Analects, Book XV.28)
Moral acts are the outward expression of
our innermost heart, but it should be
guided by life experience, public opinion,
and history of mankind, etc.
20
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
• Impartiality vs. Uprightness:
“The Governor of She said to
Confucius, ‘In our village we have one
(upright boy). When his father stole a
sheep, he the son gave evidence
against him.’ Confucius answered, ‘In
our village those who are (upright) are
quite different. Fathers cover up for
their sons, and sons cover up for their
fathers. In such behavior is
(uprightness) to be found as a matter
of course.” (Analects, Book XIII.18)
21
iPRS #2: Would
you cover up the
misconduct of the
one you love?
22
Is this a Moral Dilemma?
23
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
• Confucian Uprightness:
– “…Repay an injury with
uprightness (以直報怨), but
repay a good turn with a good
turn. (以德報德 )” (Analects, Book
XIV.34)
– Be upright ≠ Be good
– Impartiality is good for the
public, but it is not a must in
this case.
Uprightness &
Diversity
24
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
• A possible reply to the case of
concealing the misconduct of
father/son:
– “In his errors a man is true to type.
Observe the errors and you will know
the man.” (Analects, Book IV.7)
– Conceal the misconduct of father/son
is “wrong”, but the son/father have to
do so, i.e. the idea of role ethics.
– A bad citizen, but a good father/son.
Uprightness &
Diversity
25
Confucian
Ethics
Moral Feeling
Filial Piety
Critiques
Illegitimate
Moral Fact
Partiality
Reflections
Respect Diversity
Confucius understood the norm of upholding
the impartiality of Governor She’s village,
but he acts differently.
“The gentleman agrees with others without
being an echo. The small man echoes
without being in agreement.”
Analects, Book VIII.23
Objective
Ground of
Moral Feeling
Uprightness &
Diversity
e.g. Legco voting on 2014-15 Hong Kong electoral reform
26
Respect Diversity?
• Diversity is the Reason of Disorder:
– “…how will the conditions of those below be
determined and recognized…It is only possible
through carrying out government by exalting
unity under a single principle…If each person
was his own master, then for one person there
was one principle, for ten people ten
principles…everyone affirmed their own
principles and denied the principles of others,
with the result that what was weighty was
contentious and what was trivial was
contentious.” (Mozi, Exalting Unity III 13.2)
27