Rational Awareness of the Ultimate in Human Life—The Confucian Concept of "Destiny"

Frontiers of Philosophy in China 4 (3):309 - 321 (2009)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The Confucian idea of "ming ifa (destiny)" holds that in the course and culmination of human life, there exists some objective certainty that is both transcendent and beyond human control. This is a concept of ultimate concern at the transcendental theoretical level in Confucianism. During its historical development, Confucianism has constantly offered humanist interpretations of the idea of "destiny", thinking that the transcendence of "destiny" lies inherently within the qi endowment and virtues of human beings, that the certainty of "destiny" is in essence contingency at the beginning of life and linear irreversibility towards its end, and that to live in light of ethics and physical rules — having a "commitment to human affairs" — means putting "destiny" into practice. As all these facts show, the Confucian ultimate concern regarding human life is full of rational awareness. /// 儒家"命"的观念认为,在人生历程和结局中存在着某种非人力所能左右的、 超越的客观必然性。这是儒家思想中超越的理论层面上的终极关怀的理念。儒学在 其历史发展中,对"命"的观念不断做出洋溢着人文精神的诠释:认为"命"之超 越性就内在于人的气禀和德性之中"命"之必然性实际上是在生命源头处的偶然 性和在终点显现的一次不可逆性:按照伦理、物理地生活一一"尽人事"就是 "命"的实现。凡此皆显示,儒家的人生终极关怀充盈着理性自觉。 关键.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,164

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The Historical Formation of Confucian Doctrines and the Possible Transfigurations in the Future.Li Weiwu - 2008 - Proceedings of the Xxii World Congress of Philosophy 9:93-113.
Confucius' transformation of traditional religious ideas.Maoze Zhang - 2011 - Frontiers of Philosophy in China 6 (1):20-40.
The confucian relational concept of the person and its modern predicament.Jiwei Ci - 1999 - Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 9 (4):325-346.
An explanation of the confucian idea of difference.Xiangjun Li - 2007 - Frontiers of Philosophy in China 2 (4):488-502.
A Jaina perspective on the philosophy of religion.Arvind Sharma - 2001 - Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-05-29

Downloads
11 (#1,065,379)

6 months
1 (#1,428,112)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references