Emotionales versus Rationales: A Comparison between Confucius’ and Socrates’ Ethics, by LIU Qingping, Asian Philosophy (A&HCI), 2013, 23 (1): 86-99
Abstract
Socrates regards rational knowledge as the decisive factor of human life and even ascribes all virtues and moral actions to it, thereby stressing the ‘rationales’ of ethics. In contrast, Confuciusregards kinship love as the decisive factor of human life and even grounds all virtues and moral actions on it, thereby stressing the ‘emotionales’ of ethics. Therefore, we should not lump them together by conceiving Confucius’ ethics also as based on ‘moral reason’.