L? ritual (禮) is one of the most distinctive features of Confucianism (r? ji?, 儒家),
but interpreters have yet to agree on the extent of its functions and whether the
Confucians provide any justification of its use. Contemporary attempts to derive
such justification have typically relied upon explaining l?'s relationship with r?n
humaneness (仁), another core concept for Confucianism that is frequently given great
prominence in Confucian ethics. Drawing upon such approaches, I propose that at
least one aspect of l?'s function is best understood as being bound-up with that of
r?n and that this function arguably justifies Confucian appeals to l? as a guide to
conduct. My approach is distinct from previous interpretations, however, in that I
argue that l? serves metaphorically as the language by which attitudes conducive to
r?n are managed and expressed, and that the successful application of l?, including
its use in symbolizing ethically significant normative statuses, contributes to the
Confucian ideal of harmony (h?, 和) on both interpersonal and intrapersonal
levels. The upshot of this interpretation is that, despite criticisms both modern and
ancient, we can clearly see how the Confucians justifiably imbue a particular
aspect of traditional mores with normative ethical force. / published_or_final_version / Philosophy / Master / Master of Philosophy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/161582 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Lewis, Colin Joseph. |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4807987X |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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