Did Confucius advise Zai Wo to do what he believed to be morally wrong? Interpreting Analects 17.21
It has recently been argued that in Analects 17.21, Confucius advises a disciple to do something that he, Confucius, believes to be morally wrong. According to Frederick Choo, despite believing that it is morally wrong to not properly observe the three-year mourning ritual for a deceased parent, Con...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Carfax
2021
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| In: |
Asian philosophy
Year: 2021, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 229-239 |
| Further subjects: | B
Confucius
B Analects B Ritual B Mourning B Zai Wo |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | It has recently been argued that in Analects 17.21, Confucius advises a disciple to do something that he, Confucius, believes to be morally wrong. According to Frederick Choo, despite believing that it is morally wrong to not properly observe the three-year mourning ritual for a deceased parent, Confucius tells Zai Wo that he should do so. Choo offers two justifications for Confucius’s doing this. In this essay, I argue that the justifications Choo offers for Confucius’s advising Zai Wo to do what he believes to be morally wrong are untenable. Indeed, I argue that Confucius does not, in fact, advise Zai Wo to do what he believes to be morally wrong. Instead, I argue that Confucius’s advice to Zai Wo in Analects 17.21 is best understood as an expression of exasperation and sarcasm. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-2961 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Asian philosophy
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09552367.2021.1890759 |