New Old Foundations for Confucian Ethical Philosophy: Itō Jinsai, Dai Zhen, and Jeong Yakyong

Title

New Old Foundations for Confucian Ethical Philosophy: Itō Jinsai, Dai Zhen, and Jeong Yakyong

Author

Philip J. IVANHOE

Page

77-133

DOI

10.6163/tjeas.2014.11(1)77

Abstract

This essay presents and compares core elements of the ethical theories of three neo-Confucian thinkers, Itō Jinsai 伊藤仁齋 (1627-1705), Dai Zhen 戴震 (1722-1776), and Jeong Yakyong 丁若鏞 (1762-1836), and argues that their criticisms of the Cheng-Zhu School represent a distinctive type and style of Confucianism, spanning the three major East Asian cultures of China, Korea, and Japan. Moreover, the essay defends their primary criticisms of the neo-Confucian metaphysical foundations for ethics as valid and argues that they should have a much greater influence on contemporary understandings of the Confucian tradition, in all its richness, diversity, and potential. In addition, this essay seeks to describe and establish an initial case for the contemporary relevance of philosophical views advanced by this trio of thinkers, in particular their claims concerning "sympathetic consideration" (C: shu; J: jo; K: seo 恕).

Keyword

emotions, sympathetic consideration, tradition, ethics, care

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