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What does this quote mean?

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 1
LESSON

VIRTUE ETHICS
(PART C)

Confucius and Virtue Ethics

GE - Ethics

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 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:

Discuss virtue ethics in

the perspective of
Confucius

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 CONFUCIUS

• Also known as Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-tzu

• Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political figure

• Confucius philosophy became the imperial

philosophy of China after Confucius’ death
(especially during the Han, Tang, and Song
dynasties).

Reference: https://www.biography.com/scholar/Confucius

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 CONFUCIUS

• Lived in an era of crisis of ideals in China (moral

disruption/loss of traditional Chinese values)

Reference: https://www.biography.com/scholar/Confucius

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 CONFUCIUS

CHOU DYNASTY
Era of Crisis of Identity

• Great political upheaval

• Cruelty
• Lack of Compassion
• Loss of Tradition
• Faltering of Kindness
• Selfishness
• Anarchy

Reference: http://www.sipper.study.com

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 Confucius saw the moral peril of his people and
took it as his obligation to turn the hearts and
minds of all back to compassion and tradition.

Reference: http://www.sipper.study.com

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 CONFUCIUS
AND
VIRTUE ETHICS

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Reference: Feng, Y. (1948). A Short History of Chinese Philosophy.

GOODNESS
To be human is to live a live of virtue.

Man, for Confucius, is good in nature, and that such goodness can only be actualized through education,
nurturing, and training by his community/environment.

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 Reference: Feng, Y. (1948). A Short History of Chinese Philosophy.

LIFE GOAL:
To be…
and

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How do we achieve goodness?

仁 HUMANENESS (ren)
義 RIGHTEOUSNESS (yi)
禮 PROPRIETY (li)
知 WISDOM (zhi)
信 INTEGRITY (xin)
孝 FILIAL PIETY (xiao)
Reference: Feng, Y. (1948). A Short History of Chinese Philosophy.

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A virtuous man is a
superior man.

A man without virtue

is an inferior man.

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CONCLUSION

Just like Aristotle, Confucius believes that politics is

VIRTUE ETHICS ethics. Only the wise and virtuous can and must rule.

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