Post date: Oct 18, 2016 4:49:04 AM
This is the sixth post in a series for those who:
1- desire to read or teach Confucius' Analects as philosophy, but
2- lack knowledge about classical Chinese language, culture, history, philosophy.
(The translations from Chinese are my own; bear in mind, I'm still learning and practicing.)
| Part 1, On The Analects | Part 2, On Confucius | Part 3, On the Zhōu | Part 4, On Militarism and Legalism | Part 5, On Scholarly Learning |
----------
The Central Argument
For those impatient with promises and reassurances to the effect that the Analects, when read with understanding, qualifies as a philosophical text—and for those impatient for other reasons, too—I here reconstruct the Central Argument of the Analects for living well. I do so, moreover, in a style familiar from the Western European tradition but foreign to the East Asian tradition, namely, axiomatically.
I begin with seven definitions (for the meaning of key terms) and doctrines (stating the nature of various states of affairs). These doctrines and definitions are common to non-Confucian traditions from classical China, as well. For example, D1 expresses the well-known Doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven.
Doctrines and Definitions
D1: (Only) well-governed states follow the heavenly way.
D2: Governing well consists in achieving social harmony.
D3: (Only) proper aspects of culture follow the heavenly way.
D4: Being noble means being correct.
D5: Being correct consists in correct behavioral dispositions and feelings, understanding how to make appropriate exceptions to ritual, and adequate capacity to harmonize with others.
D6: Consummate conduct consists in perfectly enacting proper culture.
D7: Rectifying names means interacting with others according to proper social convention.
I now provide twelve empirical claims. These are historical, psychological, and sociological observations and predictions that motivate Confucius’ program. Competing ethical traditions from classical China reject some or all of these claims. For example, certain primitivist traditions (early Daoism) reject E2 and E8, claiming instead that those who best abandon culture achieve social harmony.
Empirical Claims
E1: The (Western) Zhōu dynasty achieved social harmony.
E2: Those lacking (Western) Zhōu culture lack social harmony.
E3: Ritual, learning, and arts are aspects of culture.
E4: Correct behavioral dispositions and feelings involve and require mastering proper ritual.
E5: Correct understanding of how to make appropriate exceptions or extensions to ritual involves and requires mastering proper learning.
E6: Correctly harmonizing with others involves and requires proper artistic mastery.
E7: Mastery of proper ritual, learning, and arts, when extensively and effectively practiced, suffices for pursuing perfect enactment of proper culture.
E8: Perfectly enacting proper culture suffices for perfect responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way.
E9: People naturally judge as attractive and authoritative well-developed responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way.
E10: Being judged by others to be attractive and authoritative is a mark of charismatic power.
E11: Those who live correctly with charismatic power inspire others to interact according to proper social convention.
E12: Aspects of culture determine social conventions for interacting with others.
Next, I provide a sequence of theorems along with accompanying proofs. Each theorem (except the first) is designed to build upon its predecessor, and each is designed to introduce a new concept or develop a prior one. The proofs mark fundamental steps in support of the theorems, leaving readers the work of filling inferential gaps.
Theorems
T1: Only (Western) Zhōu culture follows the heavenly way.
Proof: The (Western) Zhōu dynasty achieved social harmony (E1). Those lacking (Western) Zhōu culture do not (E2). Governing well consists in achieving social harmony (D2). So those lacking (Western) Zhōu culture govern poorly. Only well-governed states follow the heavenly way (D1). Therefore, etc.
T2: Mastering proper ritual, learning, and arts involves, and requires, following (Western) Zhōu culture.
Proof: Ritual, learning, and arts are aspects of culture (E3). (Only) proper aspects of culture follow the heavenly way (D3). Only (Western) Zhōu culture follows the heavenly way (T1). Therefore, etc.
T3: Nobility involves, and requires, following (Western) Zhōu culture.
Proof: Being noble means being correct (D4). Mastering proper ritual, learning, and arts involves, and requires, following (Western) Zhōu culture (T2). Correct behavioral dispositions and feelings involve and require mastering proper ritual (E4). Correct understanding of how to make appropriate exceptions or extensions to ritual involves and requires mastering proper learning (E5). Correctly harmonizing with others involves and requires proper artistic mastery (E6). Being correct consists in correct behavioral dispositions and feelings, understanding how to make appropriate exceptions ritual convention, and adequate capacity to harmonize with others (D5). Therefore, etc.
T4: Extensive and effective practice of nobility suffices for pursuing consummate conduct.
Proof: Nobility means being correct (D4). Being correct requires correct behavioral dispositions and feelings, understanding how to make appropriate exceptions to ritual, and adequate capacity to harmonize with others (D5). So nobility requires mastery of proper ritual, learning, and arts (via E4, E5, E6). Mastery of proper ritual, learning, and arts, when extensively and effectively practiced, suffices for pursuing perfect enactment of such mastery (E7). Consummate conduct consists in perfectly enacting proper culture (D6). Therefore, etc.
T5: Those who undertake extensive and effective practice of nobility develop responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way.
Proof: Extensive and effective practice of nobility suffices for pursuing consummate conduct (T4). Consummate conduct consists in perfectly enacting proper culture (D6). So those who pursue consummate conduct better approach perfectly enacting proper culture. Perfectly enacting proper culture suffices for perfect responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way (E8). Therefore, etc.
T6: Responsive correctness, when developed well, confers charismatic power.
Proof: People naturally judge as attractive and authoritative well-developed responsiveness to what accords with heaven (E9). Being judged by others to be attractive and authoritative is a mark of charismatic power (E10). Therefore, etc.
T7: Those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility produce rectification of names.
Proof: Those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility achieve well-developed responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way (T5). Responsive correctness, when developed well, confers charismatic power (T6). So those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility have charismatic power.
Moreover, those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility are noble. Being noble means being correct (D4). So those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility also live correctly.
Now those who live correctly with charismatic power inspire others to interact according to proper social convention (E11). Rectifying names means interacting with others according to proper social convention (D7). Thus, etc.
T8: Rectifying names produces social harmony.
Proof: Rectifying names means interacting with others according to proper social convention (D7). Now aspects of culture determine social conventions for interacting with others (E12). So proper aspects of culture determine proper social conventions for interacting with others.
Proper aspects of culture follow the heavenly way (D3). Hence, rectifying names follows the heavenly way. Now well-governed states follow the heavenly way (D1). Well-governed states achieve social harmony (D2). Therefore, etc.
T9: Only those who succeed well enough in following (Western) Zhōu culture produce social harmony.
Proof: Those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility produce rectification of names (T7). Rectifying names produces social harmony (T8). So only those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility produce social harmony. Nobility involves and requires following (Western) Zhōu culture (T3). Therefore, etc.
This, I submit, is the line of reasoning that runs through the Analects. From a relatively modest set of definitions, doctrines, and empirical claims, nine theorems develop the Confucian program for living well and restoring social harmony. Those theorems, as well as the chapters in which they appear, are:
T1: Only (Western) Zhōu culture follows the heavenly way.
T2: Mastering proper ritual, learning, and arts involves, and requires, following (Western) Zhōu culture.
T3: So nobility involves, and requires, following (Western) Zhōu culture.
T4: Extensive and effective practice of nobility suffices for pursuing consummate conduct.
T5: Those who undertake extensive and effective practice of nobility develop responsiveness to what accords with the heavenly way.
T6: Responsive correctness, when developed well, confers charismatic power.
T7: Those who succeed well enough in their extensive and effective practice of nobility produce rectification of names.
T8: Rectifying names produces social harmony.
T9: Only those who succeed well enough in following (Western) Zhōu culture produce social harmony.
This line of reasoning that is far from apparent. But, so far as I understand Confucius’ program for social reform, this reasoning explains his reverence for the Western Zhōu, his love of culture, and his ambition to convert rulers to his cause: the Western Zhōu hold the key to finding social harmony, their culture provides the directions, and properly tutored rulers—those worthy of the name noble—provide the vehicle.