The internationalization of higher education is a growing reality in state and private universities. Theological schools that wish to impart religious values in addition to liberal arts and discipline specific curriculum may experience cultural barriers that prevent the successful teaching of religious ideologies. This study investigates the implications of the filial piety as a value that Chinese learners bring to Western classrooms and how the comparing of Confucian filial piety to similar values in biblical (...) theology serves as a means for cultural exchange and moral development. Confucian teachings of filial piety, affective domain learning, and biblical teachings of family and society are explored. The study concludes with suggestions of how to integrate similar teachings of two different cultures in order to teach religious values. (shrink)

Resumen: como la moral más importante del pueblo chino, la piedad filial es una parte importante de la cultura tradicional china y ocupa una posición importante en la historia china. El concepto de piedad filial se originó en la dinastía pre - qin, se desarrolló en las dinastías Xia y Shang y prevaleció en la dinastía Zhou Occidental. Confucio primero propuso el concepto de “piedad filial” en el confucianismo. Combinó la “piedad filial” con la “benevolencia” y (...) enumeró el contenido específico de la “piedad filial”. El pensamiento de piedad filial de Mencio también es una herencia del pensamiento de sus predecesores, que combina la piedad filial con ideas como la “teoría de la bondad sexual” y la “política del rey”. También propuso el estándar de “piedad filial”, que es un mayor desarrollo de la “piedad filial” en la dinastía pre - qin. Este artículo intenta comenzar con el pensamiento de piedad filial de algunos representantes del confucianismo pre - qin, analizar el contenido, el desarrollo y la influencia del pensamiento de piedad filial, y analizar el papel y la importancia de la “piedad filial” en la sociedad actual. (shrink)

As an important part of entrepreneurial environment, Culture directly or indirectly affects individual entrepreneurial intention. Taking young students as the survey object, this paper uses empirical research methods to explore the relationship between Confucian filial piety culture and Chinese youth’s entrepreneurial intention. The results show that there is a positive correlation between Confucian filial piety culture and Chinese youth’s entrepreneurial intention, achievement motivation, risk-taking tendency and self-efficacy; Confucian filial piety culture has not only a (...) direct effect on Chinese youth’s entrepreneurial intention, but also an indirect effect with achievement motivation, self-efficacy and risk-taking tendency as intermediary variables. (shrink)

Even in psychological literature, which describes many determining variables related to the school domain, few studies have investigated the universal mechanism underlying parent–child relations, which is a prototype matrix for future student–teacher relations. The role of the imprinted schema of children’s obligations toward parents seems to be crucial for school functioning in classroom society. The Dual Filial Piety Model is comprised of two higher-order factors that correspond to the two focal filial piety attributes: reciprocal and authoritarian, (...) which have been shown to have distinct implications on social adaptation and individuals’ psychological functioning. In this study, we investigate the relationship between filial piety and student attitudes in a more individualistic and egalitarian culture and in a more collectivistic and hierarchical society. The measurement invariances of three scales, i.e., the Vietnamese adaptation of DFP Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the Study Satisfaction Scale, were improved in the MLM analyses. Our results show that in more individualistic cultures, the RFP is a stronger predictor of study engagement and study satisfaction; however, the AFP is a better factor to predict study engagement in more collectivistic cultures. What is more, only RFP positively correlates with study satisfaction in individualistic culture. Our findings revealed that in different cultures, different aspects of filial piety should be emphasized by parents in the context of the future academic achievements of their children. The conclusion is that the prevention and intervention strategies or techniques intended for children with school problems should be culturally appropriate and addressed to the parents of kindergarten and later to very early-stage education teachers. The results of studies based on the DFPM may stimulate practical applications and policy development within the domain of success and failure in the academic environment. (shrink)

The Dual Filial Piety Model offers a universally applicable framework for understanding essential aspects of intergenerational relations across diverse cultural contexts. The current research aimed to examine two important issues concerning this model that have lacked investigation: the roles of parental socialization and social ecologies in the development of reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety attitudes. To this end, a two-wave short-term longitudinal survey study was conducted among 850 early adolescents residing in urban and rural China, (...) who completed questionnaires twice, 6 months apart, in the spring semester of grade 7 and the fall semester of grade 8. Multigroup path analyses revealed bidirectional associations over time between perceived parenting styles and adolescents’ filial piety attitudes, with both similarities and differences in these associations between urban and rural China. In both settings, perceived authoritative parenting predicted increased reciprocal filial piety 6 months later, whereas perceived authoritarian parenting predicted reduced reciprocal filial piety among urban adolescents over time. Moreover, in both settings, reciprocal filial piety predicted higher levels of perceived authoritative parenting and lower levels of perceived authoritarian parenting 6 months later, with the latter effect being stronger among urban adolescents. Adolescents’ perceived parenting styles did not predict their authoritarian filial piety over time; however, authoritarian filial piety predicted higher levels of perceived authoritative parenting 6 months later in both settings. The findings highlight the roles of transactional socialization processes between parents and youth as well as social ecologies in the development of filial piety, thus advancing the understanding of how the universal human motivations underlying filial piety may function developmentally across different socioeconomic and sociocultural settings. (shrink)

This study aimed to develop the Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Scale and explore its psychometric properties. Based on Wang’s Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Model, our study employed a review of the current literature, in-depth interviews, and feedback from experts and the target group. An initial 36-item scale using a bipolar Likert 6-point rating scale was developed. Then item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted with sample 1 (n = 617) to explore the dimensions and final (...) items, and a 15-item scale with three factors was obtained. After that, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the 3-factor structure obtained through exploratory factor analysis with sample 2 (n = 585). Next, we tested criterion-related validity with sample 3 (n = 248) and test-retest reliability with sample 4 (n = 67). The results supported the model on which this scale was based and showed three dimensions of filial piety, namely the balance of interests, good affections, and family role norms. As a valid, reliable scale, the Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Scale can therefore be used in the Chinese context to measure filial piety for people of different genders, ages, and cohabitation situations. (shrink)

A successful student has been defined as one who not only performs well in academics but is also happy. Hence, how to promote adolescents’ academic success and wellbeing is an important issue with which researchers have been concerned. A few studies have explored the relationship of filial piety to the academic achievement or life satisfaction of Chinese adolescents. However, in view of the close relationship between the two outcomes, the unique effects of filial piety on academic (...) achievement and subjective wellbeing and their underlying mechanisms need to be further clarified. Based on a sample of 677 students in Grade 6 (Mage = 12.24, SD = 0.36) and their parents in Beijing, China, this study examines how adolescents’ reciprocal filial piety (RFP) and authoritarian filial piety (AFP) are related to their academic achievement and subjective wellbeing. It also examines the mediating role of adolescents’ educational expectations in these relationships, and the moderating role of parents’ educational expectations in the relationships of adolescents’ filial piety to educational expectations and of adolescents’ educational expectations to academic achievement and subjective wellbeing. The results indicate that, when the two outcome factors are considered simultaneously, RFP is positively related to academic achievement and subjective wellbeing. In contrast, AFP is negatively related to academic achievement but not significantly related to subjective wellbeing. Moreover, adolescents’ educational expectations play a mediating role in the relationships of both RFP and AFP to academic achievement and subjective wellbeing. In addition, the positive effect of adolescents’ educational expectations on subjective wellbeing is stronger when mothers’ educational expectations are higher, supporting the moderating role of parents’ educational expectations. Our findings provide new insights into and implications for the moderated mediation mechanism underlying the links between filial piety and early adolescent development. (shrink)

Filial piety is a Confucian concept derived from Chinese culture, which advocates a set of moral norms, values, and practices of respect and caring for one’s parents. According to the dual-factor model of filial piety, reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety are two dimensions of filial piety. Reciprocal filial piety is concerned with sincere affection toward one’s parent and a longstanding positive parent-child relationship, while authoritarian filial piety is about (...) obedience to social obligations to one’s parent, often by suppressing one’s own wishes to conform the demands of the parent. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the moderating effect of culture on the relationships between filial piety and palliative care knowledge. The secondary aim is to investigate whether filial piety is a universal construct across Singaporean and Australian cultures. A total of 508 participants living in Singapore and Australia were surveyed between May and October 2020. The final sample comprised of 406 participants, with 224 Singaporeans and 182 Australians. There were 289 females, 115 males, and two unspecified gender in the sample, with an average age of 27.27 years. Results indicated a significant effect of culture on authoritarian filial piety and palliative care knowledge. Singaporeans showed higher authoritarian filial piety and higher palliative care knowledge than Australians. However, no effect of culture was found on reciprocal filial piety. Overall, no significant correlation existed between palliative care knowledge and reciprocal filial piety and authoritarian filial piety. For Singaporeans, a weak negative correlation was found between palliative care knowledge and authoritarian filial piety. In contrast, Australians and Singaporeans indicated a positive, moderate correlation between reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety. Further, culture moderated the relationship between authoritarian filial piety and palliative care knowledge. High authoritarian filial piety was associated with increased palliative care knowledge among Australians, while high authoritarian filial piety was associated with decreased palliative care knowledge among Singaporeans. The results support the conceptualization of filial piety as a possible psychological universal construct. In addition, the results point out an important implication that public health programs should target the appropriate filial piety types to enhance palliative care knowledge among Singaporeans and Australians. (shrink)

The definition and measurement of filial piety in existing research primarily focuses on the narrow conceptualizations of Asian filial piety, which would inflate cultural differences and undermine cultural universals in how people approach caring for their elderly parents. Employing the Dual Filial Piety Model, this study aimed to examine the relationship between filial piety and attitude toward caring for elderly parents beyond the Asian context. In our study, we found that (...) reciprocal filial piety does not differ across cultures while authoritarian filial piety does. We also found that collectivism, rather than ethnicity, predicted RFP and AFP, which in turn predicted positive attitude toward caring for elderly parents. Our work demonstrates the cross-cultural applicability of the DFPM and highlights the universal and culture-specific aspects of filial piety. (shrink)

With the development of rationalism, although the concept of filial piety is still an important factor affecting family relations, its rules have changed. Based on the resource theory and by measuring family power via the role played in family decision-making, this study explored the mediating role of filial piety norms between elderly’s family resource contributions and family power in intergenerational cohabitation families in Mengzhou city, China. Using a stratified sampling method, 1,200 elderly people were recruited (...) for data collection. Multiple linear regression analysis was used for testing. The results show that the elderly still have some FDM in Chinese intergenerational cohabitation families, and the family power of elderly men is still higher than that of elderly women, which indicate that the influence of traditional patriarchal norms still exists in the family. Filial piety culture mediates between the elderly’s relative economic income and their family power and also mediates the relationship of the elderly’s relative educational level and their family power. It shows that the resources of the elderly relative to their children affect the filial piety of their adult children and then affect the FDM of the elderly. The study is theoretically and practically meaningful. (shrink)

본 연구에서는 우계의 삶에 나타나는 ‘우정’과 ‘효행’의 양상을 분석하고, 여기에 기초하여 그의 삶이 지니는 교육적 가치에 대해 시론적으로 고찰한다는 목적 아래 논의를 진행하였다. ⓐ 본 연구에서는 먼저 우계의 삶에 나타난 ‘우정’의 양상에 대해 살펴보았다. 그는 형식적인 관계 맺음을 지양하고 상대방을 세밀하게 관찰하면서 배려 · 희생하였고, 우정의 심화 · 확장을 위해 때로는 상대방과 거리 두기를 하고 또 때로는 적극적으로 자기반성을 하였으며, 거의 완성에 다다른 우정을 맺은 친우에 대해서는 예의를 지키면서도 격의 없이 대했다. ⓑ이어서 본 연구에서는 우계의 삶에 나타난 ‘효행’의 양상에 대해 (...) 살펴보았다. 그는 효행을 부모의 마음이 무엇인지 알고 따르기 위해 노력하는 것으로 규정하면서 구현 과정에서 풍속에 매몰되어서는 안 된다고 주의하였고, 효행은 자연스럽게 드러날 수 있도록 몸과 마음에 배어 있어야 하는 것으로서 심오한 학문과 폭넓은 지식을 필요로 하지는 않는다고 생각하였으며, 사람을 평가하는 주요 기준으로 효행을 설정한 뒤 관련된 일화를 들으면 기록해 두었다. ⓒ 마지막으로 본 연구에서는 우계의 삶에 나타난 ‘우정’과 ‘효행’의 양상이 지니는 교육적 가치에 대해 시론적으로 고찰하였는데, 첫째는 그의 우정과 효행 양상이 현행 중학교 「도덕」과목의 교과서에 그 자체로 수록을 고려할 수 있는 훌륭한 도덕적 · 실제적 사례가 된다는 것이고, 둘째는 현재 「2022 도덕과 교육과정」내에서 개정이 진행중인 고등학교 ‘진로선택’ 과목 「인문학과 윤리」에도 시사하는 바가 크다는 것이다. (shrink)

유학의 도덕철학은 혈연에 기반을 둔 효를 도덕성의 출발점으로 한다. 이 특징으로 인해 유학의 도덕철학은 두 가지 질문을 필연적으로 수반할 수 밖에 없다. 첫째, 과연 사적 관계의 덕목인 효에서 보편적 도덕원리가 생성되고 함양될 수 있는가? 둘째, 사적 관계의 덕목인 효와 공공성 혹은 보편적 도덕원리가 충돌한다면, 과연 양자 중 어느 것을 선택하는 것이 옳은가? 이 두 가지 질문은 상호 긴밀하게 연결되어 있다.BR 이 논문에서는 둘째 문제에 집중하고자 한다. 이를 위해 주희가 선진유학에서 논의된 이 문제를 인(仁)에 대한 체용론(體用論)적 해석을 통해 해결해가는 과정을 분석할 (...) 것이다. 주희의 인(仁)과 애(愛)를 체용론으로 해석하는 이론적 특징은 세 가지 측면에서 접근할 필요가 있다. 첫째, 주희의 체용론이 선진유학의 ‘효(孝)와 사회적 규범[義]이 충돌할 경우 효라는 사적 관계가 우선하는가, 아니면 사회적 규범이 우선하는가?’라는 주제와 어떤 연관성을 가지고 있는가? 둘째, 선진유학 시기 여러 학파의 사상가들은 유학의 도덕이론이 사적 관계에 치우쳤다고 비판했는데, 주희의 체용론은 이에 맞서 유학의 논리를 옹호할 수 있는가? 셋째, 주희의 체용론이 주희 당대의 도덕성-인(仁)에 대한 여러 이론가들의 논의에 대해 어떤 입장을 보여주고 있는가? (shrink)

본 연구의 목적은, 『사백록(俟百綠)』의 편자요 『초산일기(楚山日記)』의 기록자로 알려진 애일당(愛日堂) 민진강(閔鎭綱)의 시대 및 생애를 살펴보고, 나아가 그의 삶에서 나타나는 효도(孝道)와 존사(尊師)의 실천 모습을 고찰하는 것이다. 이 목적을 위해, ① 본 연구에서는 먼저 그의 시대와 행적을 살펴보았다. 예송(禮訟)논쟁과 환국(換局)정치, 옥사(獄事) 등으로 점철된 시대를 산 민진강은 송시열(宋時烈) 학맥에 속해 있었으므로, 인물 그 자체만으로 온전히 평가받기에는 어려웠을 것으로 보인다. 그럼에도 그의 유년기와 청⋅장년기는 특별한 일 없이 학업과 일상 속 덕행이 삶의 중심을 이루었다. 그러나 노년기에 시작된 관직 생활에 있어서는, 종3품의 남원 부사(南原府使)까지 승진하였으나, 행정력과 도덕성 (...) 등에 있어 의심을 받기도 하였다. ② 이어서 본 연구에서는 민진강의 효도와 존사의 실천에 대해 살펴보았다. 그는 부모의 생전과 사후에 효행을 다하려고 노력했고, 효의 의미를 되새기기 위해 당호도 ‘애일당’으로 정하였다. 이런 효행보다 더욱 두드러진 것은 존사행인데, 그는 스승을 향한 충만한 존사의 마음을 바탕으로 송시열의 명예를 지키기 위해 애썼으며, 존사 실천의 범위를 스승의 다른 문인에게로 확장하기도 하였다. ③ 끝으로 본 연구에서는 후속과제를 두 가지 제시하였는데, 하나는 미시적 관점에서 숙종 대 전후를 바라보는 연구가 더 많이 이루어져야 한다는 것이고, 다른 하나는 부모와 스승에 대한 공경심이 상실되고 이로 인해 다양한 갈등이 발생하는 이 때, 민진강을 비롯한 우리 전통 인물들이 보여준 효도와 존사의 실천행이 교육적 차원에서 공유되어야만 한다는 것이다. (shrink)

Through a comparative analysis of the stories of Abraham and Guo, this article tries to argue that some particularistic claims of Christianity and Confucianism, which regard faith in God or filial piety to parents respectively as the sole ultimate principle of human life, may constitute the spiritual mainstay of such serious evils as murdering the innocent in certain in-depth paradoxes. Only by assigning a supreme position to their universal ideas of loving all humans through their self-transformations could the (...) two ethico-religious traditions prevent those morally unacceptable evils motivated by their particularistic claims and overcome their in-depth paradoxes. (shrink)

This study aims to investigate mental health among Chinese people living in areas with differing levels of infection severity during the COVID-19 outbreak. It also assesses the association between reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety and mental health in times of crises. A sample of 1,201 Chinese participants was surveyed between April and June 2020. Wuhan city, Hubei province outside Wuhan, and elsewhere in China were categorized into high, moderate, and low infection severity areas, respectively. The Depression, Anxiety, (...) and Stress Scale’s severity cut-points were used to categorize participants. In the overall sample, 20.9, 34.2, and 29.0% of the participants showed elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Those in the highest infection severity group were significantly more likely to be categorized as having elevated levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. General linear modeling was performed on a composite mental distress variable. This model indicated that, even after adjusting for group differences in age, gender, education, and filial piety, the high infection severity group displayed more mental distress than the low infection severity groups. The model also found reciprocal filial piety to have a negative association with mental distress. Conversely, authoritarian filial piety was found to be unrelated to mental distress when controlling for the other variables in the model. No evidence was found for an interaction between either authoritarian or reciprocal filial piety and infection severity, which suggests that the negative association observed between reciprocal filial piety and mental distress was relatively consistent across the three infection severity groups. The findings suggest that future public health programs may integrate the promotion of filial piety as a strategy to help Chinese people maintain good mental health in the face of pandemic crises. (shrink)

The present study examined the effect of expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on marital satisfaction among young Chinese couples. We administered scales assessing gender role attitude, marital satisfaction, and expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on 422 married participants and explored the relationships among these variables. The results showed the following: gender role attitude mediated the relationship between participants’ gender and evaluation of their spouse’s filial piety. There was no significant (...) gender difference in the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety; however, men were more likely to have a traditional gender role attitude, and a traditional gender role attitude leads to lower evaluation of spouse’s filial piety. Furthermore, it was found that the wife’s sibling condition influenced the participants’ expectation and evaluation of spouse’s filial piety as compared to the husband’s; the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety was significantly positively correlated with marital satisfaction; and women’s expectations of their husband’s filial piety moderated this relationship. The positive effects of the evaluation of spouse’s filial piety on marital satisfaction were significantly stronger when they had high expectations in this regard. (shrink)

Mourning in Late Imperial China. Filial Piety and the State. Norman Kutcher. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999. xiv, 210 pp. £40.00, US $64.95. ISBN 0-521-62439-8.

This chapter discusses the reception of The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing孝經) from medieval to late imperial China. Based on the records found in Scripta Sinica database, we see the way in which female biographies indicate the increasing importance of The Classic of Filial Piety in female education during late imperial China. Male biographies, however, demonstrate the opposite trend. I suggest this phenomenon does not reflect the decline in its male readership, but rather a change in (...) the status of the book. I then discuss how the text played a significant role in political culture before medieval period and became mainly a primer after Southern Song. The marginalization of the text in political and elite circles caused it to figure less prominently in male biographies. In addition, this chapter also discusses certain aspects related to The Classic of Filial Piety and female education, as well as the revival of the study of the Canon during the late Ming and how the book regained its political importance by the support of the Qing state. (shrink)

We applied the theoretical perspective of the dual filial piety model to consider the diversity of parent–child conflict resolution strategies in order to determine whether Chinese adolescents use strategies other than self-sacrifice to practice filial piety when in conflict with their parents. Study 1 utilized a cross-sectional design with 247 valid responses. The structural equation modeling analysis indicated that Taiwanese adolescents’ authoritarian filial piety beliefs are positively related to use of a self-sacrifice strategy, (...) and reciprocal filial piety beliefs are positively related to use of compatibility and compromise strategies. Adolescents’ AFP and RFP beliefs are negatively related to use of utility and escape strategies. Study 2 applied a temporal separation procedure with a 1-year lag to remedy common method variance bias. Analysis of 1,063 valid responses replicated the findings of Study 1 and indicated that adolescents’ function-oriented appraisal of conflict can play a mediating role between RFP and the use of the compatibility and compromise strategies. These findings broaden the understanding of filial piety in modern Chinese societies and have implications for adolescents’ well-being and family life. (shrink)

The reason for the emergence of consciousness of filial piety is that parental care could activate reciprocal filial piety. Parental care and filial piety are two supplementary phenomena caused by the same time consciousness. Phenomenology neglects consciousness of filial piety because it lacks the thinking that sees the fundamental “meaning of time” in the intersection of “past” and “future”. The consciousness of filial piety can only be really constituted by a (...) human being’s personal experience. “Frustrations in personal life” and “breeding of children for oneself” are two occasions for an adult to fight against the separating effect of individualized consciousness and regain awareness of filial piety. (shrink)

This essay presents an in-depth interpretation of the controversial dialogue in Analects 13.18 through careful and critical investigation of its historical background and philosophical significations. With a clarification of the multifaceted connotations of the word zhi (?, upright, forthright), my study brings out the play of irony in Confucius's words in Analects 13.18. According to my interpretation, not only is Confucius's reaction not inappropriate but it also demonstrates the art of early Confucian moral discretion that was informed by the (...) teaching of quan (? moral discretion). Accordingly, Confucius's judgment of the case embodied a high and bright middle way of moral choice originating in the openness and sincerity of heart. It epitomized a singular moment of deliberation and decision that was responsible for a sinuous opening of piety and individuality within the interplay of conflicting conditions and requisitions. (shrink)

Filial piety is a foundational concept in the thought of Confucius. Rooted in religious rituals from the Western Zhou Dynasty, filial piety in the Analects functions primarily a form of ritual, but based as much in the emotions of the performer as the formal behavior itself, especially in mourning rituals. This ritual foundation is critical for understanding not only the general form of filial piety in the text, but also famous problematic passages in which (...) Confucius favors concealing the misdeeds of one's father and promotes a relatively weak stance on remonstration. However, it is also important to understand these passages in a wider textual context, which provides a clearer picture of both the general significance of filial piety in early Chinese thought and the diversity within the early Confucian tradition. (shrink)

The present article focuses on Zhang Zai’s 張載 attitude toward death and its moral significance. It launches with the unusual link between the opening statement of the Western Inscription 西銘 regarding heaven and earth as parents and the conclusion that serving one’s cosmic parents during life, one is peaceful in death. Through the analogy of human relations with heaven and earth as filial piety (xiao 孝), Zhang Zai sets a framework for an understanding that being filial through (...) life eliminates the fear of death. The article shows that filial piety as a root for morality enables a “sense of immortality,” which is in fact a sense of morality. This moral immortality is elucidated through Zhang Zai’s discussion on vital power (qi 氣) as that which life is made of, which persists through ongoing transformation and enables a moral continuum. This continuum is manifested through filial piety, which transcends the limits between life and death, and thus makes physical death pointless as morality endures. (shrink)

Filial Piety and Business Ethics: A Confucian Reflection.

Critics of Confucianism have long raised concerns about its focus on filial piety (xiao 孝). This concept entails traditional expectations, such as children dutifully serving parents, demonstrating outward respect, and subordinating personal desires to parental wishes. Critics find this problematic not only as an approach toward parents but also as a broader orientation toward authority figures. In response to such criticism, a common argument asserts that it misunderstands filial piety's true nature. This perspective claims that (...) class='Hi'>filial piety requires not only service, respect, and compliance with parents but also the courage to admonish them when they veer from the path of what's right. However, this response is unconvincing. Passages used to support this view suggest admonishment should be light and avoided if it causes bad feelings, which may not be effective with stubborn parents. Other passages within the same texts indicate that admonishment is discouraged, emphasizing parental satisfaction over whether children should remonstrate. The most robust endorsements for admonishment originate from the relatively less influential Xunzi. In conclusion, concerns raised by critics about unquestioning obedience to authority warrant serious consideration. These concerns invite a thorough examination of the intricate dynamics of filial piety and its implications, advocating a thoughtful approach. (shrink)

This paper offers a theory of filial piety on which piety is the ethical virtue that responds to the action of person-creating. Piety is the virtue of a creature qua creature. I begin by identifying the action of person-creating as the action of a parent. I then offer some points from the philosophy of action to delineate the action of person-creating. Next, I explain the metaphysical states that this action gives rise to and their value. Parent (...) and child fall in the category of relatives, discussed by Aristotle in his Categories. More specifically, Aristotle says that parent and child are relatives as creator and created. Agreeing with but going beyond Aristotle, I show how parent and child are creator and created as paradigm and image. A pious child is one who images their paradigm well. A child does this by participating in and perfecting the person-creating action of their parent, that is, by being a good person. I argue for the theory’s acceptance on the grounds that it better explains common intuitive judgments about filial piety than do the gratitude theory and the special goods theory (the two most influential and plausible competing theories of filial piety in the philosophical literature). (shrink)

Xiaojing's authorship and texts -- Related classical teachings -- Ideological foundations -- The social setting -- A persistent for the people -- Special instruction for women -- The impact on neighboring nations -- Comparative discussion -- Concluding reflections.

In order to conquer and subjugate Africans, at the 1884 Berlin Conference, European countries dismembered Africa by carving her up into pieces and sharing her among themselves. European colonialists also antagonised Africans by setting up one ethnic African community against the other, thus promoting ethnic consciousness to undermine Pan-African consciousness. European powers also imposed their own “ethnic” languages, making them not only “official”, but also “international”. Consequently, as the Kenyan philosopher, Ngũgῖ wa Thiong’o, persuasively argues, through their ethnic languages, European (...) colonialists planted their memory wherever they went, while simultaneously uprooting the memory of the colonised. Cognisant of efforts in some South African institutions of higher learning to promote African languages for the purpose of promoting literacy in African languages, this article argues that while this exercise is commendable, ethnic African languages should be deliberately taught to “re-member” Africa and rediscover Pan-African consciousness. By doing this, African scholarship would be aiding Africans’ perennial and elusive quest for Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance. Keywords: African Renaissance, Ethnic African Languages, Ethnic European Languages, European Colonialism, Pan-African Consciousness, Pan-Africanism. (shrink)

This article discusses friendship and filial piety in Ming Neo-Confucianism, particularly the Yangming learning. I argue that the Yangming jianghui provided important social settings for elevating the value of friendship. True friendship was considered as a means for moral improvement, and to prevent the risk of moral subjectivism in the Yangming philosophy.I also revisit the question of whether Ming Neo-Confucians did challenge the order of the five cardinal relationships by elevating friendship as the most important one. Through the (...) investigation of filial piety in imperial culture and the Yangming learning, I emphasize that filial piety was not only the basis of socio-political order, but also the essence of the true self. The importance of friendship lies in its capacity to aid moral cultivation and to become a better self. It could never surpass that of filial piety. It remained a supplement to familial ethics. (shrink)

Confucianism advocates the lofty moral ideal of “humane love” (ren ai 仁愛) and condemns immoral actions. Strangely enough, however, Mencius, a “paradigmatic Confucian intellectual” who believed that “a true man cannot be corrupted by wealth, subdued by power, or affected by poverty” (Tu 1989a: 15), highly commended such typically corrupt actions as bending the law for the benefit of relatives or appointing people by mere nepotism when he talked about Shun 舜 in the text of the Mencius. In the first (...) four sections of this article, I will address the issue of how Confucianism encourages a special kind of corruption through its fundamentally consanguineous affection. Then, in the remaining sections, I will try to respond to some criticisms of my views by a few Chinese scholars. (shrink)

The importance and relevance of philosophy has come to be recognized more today than ever before in recent history. In many colleges and universities philosophy is now an essential component of interdisciplinary studies. The public interest in philosophy is increasing. UNESCO’s initiatives to promote philosophy are laudable. All these call for reimagining the study and teaching of philosophy for our contemporary time − a task worthwhile for philosophy studies in ecclesiastical institutes as well.

This article examines the origins of and philosophical justifications for Aristotelian friendship and early Confucian filial piety.What underlying assumptions about bonds between friends and family members do the philosophies share or uniquely possess? Is the Aristotelian emphasis on relationships between equals incompatible with the Confucian regard for filiality? As I argue, the Aristotelian and early Confucian accounts, while different in focus, share many of the same tensions in the attempt to balance hierarchical and familial associations with those between (...) friends who are on the same footing. (shrink)