Confucian Humaneness in Modern Human Rights Politics Dr.&Prof. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Confucian Humaneness in Modern Human Rights Politics Dr.&Prof. Shan Chun China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, PRC

The Three Religions or Humaneness or Ren ( 仁 ) T eachings  Confucian humanism is Main strands of Chinese reflected in identical tradition: pronunciation for ‘human’:  Confucianism  - both humaneness and  Daoism human are pronounced as  Buddhism Ren in Chinese & pictographic characters Confucianism has been the displaying as 人 and 仁 strongest for community cohesion

Ren( 仁 ) as Ethical Logo  “All the countries  From family to country to the under heaven make a world. grand family( 天下一  Family = the incubator of 家 ) ” human morality  Country = a term in Chinese as an expanded  Implies that family ( Guojia 国家，家国 ), humaneness is connotes the humanistic harbored as the relations that unite many universal ethics for families together into a bigger all human beings. 人 family. 者，仁也，  The World = these bigger families might be united into the Grand Family.

Hello the Grand Family! Confucian  “The cosmos is nothing larger than humaneness = my heart, and my heart is nothing the universal smaller than the ethical logic in cosmos.” - Lu Jiuyuan, a Song Dynasty Confucian the Chinese way of  A Westerner says “Hello Every One”, approaching the  a Chinese says “Hello world the Grand Family”( 大家好 )

Humaneness as Moral and Political Rights  Universal human moral rights  Inherent dignity and are indicated as inalienable equal  “the dignity and worth of the human person, in the rights => equal rights of men and women”  contents of moral  in the preamble of the human rights that Charter of the United Nations as well as constitute other  “the inherent dignity and of the equal and ensuing human rights inalienable rights of all including political members of the human family ” rights  in the Preamble of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Confucius - Aristotle -  “What we call politics  “which equality is nothing more than and which justice. If the ruler commits himself to inequality this justice, the ruled would means is a not behave themselves otherwise.” political  (“ Y anyuan ” , in The question” Analects of Confucius )  .  ( Politics , 1282b 21)

Inner Saint and Outer King  “ I am endowed  Confucius stood with grand firm for human virtue by moral rights as Heaven, Duke natural, fair, Huantui could do nothing to sacred and hurt me .” unalienable:  ( “Shu er”, in The Analects of Confucius )

Son of Heaven Citizen of Heaven  To Confucius and his  In the moral domain peers, Heaven means they are even the source of human inferior to ordinary dignity and mandate, people termed as superior to King and “Citizen of Emperor, who are often Heaven”( Tian Min thought of as “Son of 天民 ). Heaven”( Tian Zi 天子 ) . Heaven = The source of human dignity

 The Zhou Dynasty  “If not guided by humanity, can any was the social person behave stage of Confucius’ himself in accordance teaching and with rituals? If not political activities guided by humanity, and its rule was can any person depicted as one of behave himself in rituals and music. accordance with music?” （ “ Ba Yi ”, in The Analects of Confucius ）

On Being a Cosmic Husband  “. . . a cosmic husband is one who won’t be seduced to being obscenely rich, who won’t give in because of being poor and plebeian, who won’t reconcile himself to coercion .”  (“Duke T engwen” Part II, in The Works of Mencius )

Moral rights in Confucian political ethics In the negative: “the end of   The idea behind the humaneness and catchphrase: “Give Me righteousness”[ 仁至义尽 ], = no Liberty Or Give Me longer respecting somebody in Death” may be found in - their capacity as a human being.  Confucius: “ The Principle If politics is degraded to “the  of Prioritizing end of heavenly conscience”[ 丧 Humaneness to Body”[ 杀 尽天良 ], then such politics is 身成仁 ] morally and legitimately rejected by its people.  Mencius: “ The Principle of Sacrificing Life to Obtain These are all the  Righteousness”[ 舍生取义 ] . representations of, which have been nursed into Chinese characteristics in their social and political undertakings.

 Political Rights as Outer Kings  The term “the thief of solitude” refers to political dictators  Mencius contributed this concept to Confucian political ethics.  In modern political and legal terms, such a phrase as employed by ordinary Chinese is the political right to participate and to criticize or comment on politics.

Plebeian Emperors The political right to participate and to criticize politics originates in every human being with moral conscience  “ plebeian emperors”[ 布衣天子 ],  “plebeian prime ministers”[ 布衣宰相 ],  “appoint people by their merits”[ 任人唯贤 ],  “civil service examination system”[ 科举制度 ]. are the varied embodiments of political rights open for all people under Heaven.

Saint of the Three The Three Dynasties Accomplished Merits  The 1 st Three Dynasties in  1. Morality Chinese history - Xia,  2. Achievements Shang & Zhou - are  3. Precepts extolled as the Golden Age In Modern Times: of Chinese Politics. - Used as justification for  => Moral succession of revolt by Chiang Kai-shek political power via Heaven- against the Qing Dynasty Human harmony - centered - & Mao Zedong against on universal morality Chiang Kai-shek The Golden Age of Chinese Politics

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton) According to “ Gao Zi I” in The  In the Golden Age holy Works of Mencius , there are 2 heavenly titles were sought types of titles: while human titles were conferred but not sought. 1. Holy Heavenly Title  Now many say they seek  – Humaneness, cosmic heavenly titles while aiming conscience, loyalty, truthfulness, for human titles which, once enduring tendency towards obtained, the quest for goodness heavenly titles is abandoned.  Those who take titles as 2. Secular Humanely Title instruments for power  - Persons of different appointed and wealth will eventually ranks come to no titles at all. (Paraphrased from Mencius)

Moral Rank + Political Rank = Rule of Virtue  Is rule of virtue identical to the rule of person in the West?  No, in the Confucian context, this rule of person is the Rule of Saint, much more similar to the Rule of Law in the West when law focuses on justice and fairness.

Confucianism in Modern Politics  By reiterating the  Confucius’ doctrine: Confucian doctrine  “to deprecate the of prioritizing moral Son of Heaven, to rights over political oust the dukes, powers, Confucian and to combat the scholars want to barons in line with demonstrate their the Rule of Saints” rights to participate in and criticize （贬天子，退诸侯， Chinese politics. 讨大夫，以达于王 事而已矣） .

Three Types of Politics By the Confucian  Confucian concepts criteria of sacred moral of moral & political & equal political rights, rights have been China has experienced acknowledged as 3 types of politics: intellectual mechanism via innate conscience to check  1. Hereditary power in its  2. Imperial-Saint administrative  3. Party-State executions.

Confucian Ethics & the CCP  This anecdote shows  How do Confucian ethics of moral and political how Chinese politics has rights relate to the been essentially contemporary rule of influenced by Confucian Chinese Communist Party ethics. Terms like (CCP)? Socialism with Chinese Characteristics indicate  Former German this. Chancellor Helmut Schmidt asked China’s then  Confucian ethics has paramount leader Deng been established as Xiaoping whether he considered the CCP as a the mainstay of Confucian party. Deng Chinese political quickly responded in culture. English with “So what”.

Serve the People The Chinese Dream Confucian ethics manifest in Chinese  With the present leader Xi Communist leadership statements: Jinping’s “Chinese Dream” for Mao Zedong’s “Serving the People”  every Chinese having the right Deng Xiaoping’s “Reform and  to live to his or her fullest Open-Door Policy for Prosperous potential, we are certain to Society for People” connect current Chinese Jiang Zemin’s “The Three  Represents (progressive productive politics with its Confucian power, progressive cultural ethical tradition focusing on orientation and fundamental holy moral and equal political interests of the broad masses of people) rights for all people under Hu Jintao’s “political power for  Heaven. people, human emotion for people, and economic benefit for people”