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Religion and World OrderPapers WorkingToward a Shared Global Ethic: Confucian PerspectivesbyMary EvelynTuckerDepartmentof Religion, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa. Introduction: Responses to the Ecological Crisis
It is becoming increasingly clear that we are living in a period of enormous change and upheaval, especially due to the environmental crisis which is threatening life systems on the planet in drastic and often unexpected ways. From resource depletion to population explosion and from Pollution excess to biodiversity decrease we are straddling a precarious moment in human history. Indeed, the human community has never before faced such a challenge in terms of sustaining life and livelihood on the planet. As the scientist Brian Swimme has stated, "We are making macrophase changes on the planet with microphase wisdom." The cultural historian, Thomas Berry, has raised the question of whether or not the human is a viable species. In this vein he notes we have developed ethics for homicide and suicide but not for biocide and ecocide. In other words, the moral restraints formulated by a comprehensive environmental ethics are still not in place. Hence we continue to destroy ecosystems and species at a staggering rate. We need not elaborate all the particulars of this destruction as the statistics are well known. The scale, complexity, and urgency of the environmental crisis are, however, of such magnitude as to require radical rethinking of worldviews and ethics in order to halt this mindless destruction. There are Currently three significant movements in this direction. The first includes efforts to describe the broad sweep of the epic of evolution and to articulate the role of the human in this process. The second is enunciated by Tu Weiming in his call to move beyond the Enlightenment project and draw on the spiritual resources of the world's religious. The third is the collaborative work on formulating an Earth Charter and a Global Ethics to be brought to the United Nations. This paper on Confucian ethics can be situated in both the second and third categories. Our thesis is that the spiritual dynamics of self cultivation in the moral political philosophy and the ecological cosmology of Confucian tradition are important resources for overcoming our present alienation from one another and from the earth itself. We will briefly discuss the three movements mentioned above and then outline the role of potential contribution of Confucianism. The Epic of Evolution:
Those involved in developing the epic of evolution include Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme, Eric Chaisson, Carl Sagan, E. 0. Wilson, Loyal Rue, and Ursula Goodenough. In their book on The Universe Story Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme note that we need to situate humankind amidst some 5 billion years of earth's evolution and against the backdrop of some 15 billion years of cosmic evolution. This provides a sufficiently comprehensive worldview against which to formulate an ethics of ecological sustainability and biological integrity to counteract the forces of massive environmental destruction. By reorienting ourselves to this vast sweep of time and space we have new grounds for an appropriate anthropocosmic perspective beyond simply anthropocentric preoccupations. It is here, for example, that the Confucian virtue of humaneness takes on particular significance for it is a virtue that is understood to have both cosmic and personal dimensions. Thus, self cultivation links the individual to others and to nature as a whole, identifying the microcosm and the macrocosm. Beyond the Enlightenment Mentality:
Tu Weiming contributes a second important dimension to this discussion in his efforts to move beyond the negative effects of the Enlightenment. Tu calls our attention to the unintended consequences of the Enlightenment project in its frequently unrestrained promotion of rationality, individuality, science, and technology. The objectification of knowledge as power has become a driving force behind viewing the material world as simply a collection of resources to be exploited. Tu suggests that we need to critique the Enlightenment mentality while nonetheless drawing on the positive aspects of the Enlightenment legacy. For example, we have inherited the Enlightenment ideas of liberty and equality which emphasize the importance of the individual and of democratic systems. On the other hand, the idea of fraternity i-nay need rethinking in the west in light of communitarian and environmental ethics. How we understand fraternity may be key to our survival as a species and as a planet. This is especially true because most traditional religions have been anthropocentric and divine centered. At the same time, postmodernists have been largely human centered and politically oriented. Communitarian ethicists have likewise been socially focused. All of these perspectives are not fully adequate to the challenges we face. Our devotion to individual liberty, human equality, and justice has blinded us to other broader possibilities of being communal. As Thomas Berry has observed, we have become autistic in relation to the natural world. Yet several projects may offset these tendencies. One is Tu Weiming's proposal to bring forth the traditional wisdom of the world's religions for contemporary concerns. This needs to be done with a sufficient sensitivity to the broader cosmological context in which religions arise. In this vein we might observe that Mircea Eliade was attempting to do precisely this in his efforts to link religious symbols with natural processes such as the fluctuation of day and night, the agricultural cycles, and seasonal rhythms. Similarly, Tu Weiming convened a series of conferences over a three year period at the East-West Center in Hawaii on the Dialogue of Civilizations focusing on religious interactions. Scholars and practitioners came together to explore the resources of these traditions for contemporary concerns. In this same vein, a number of people are recognizing the value of the Confucian tradition in that it does not have a metaphysics of radical transcendence. Rather, it embraces a profound sense of the recovery of relational resonances between humans and the natural world. It is based oil a sophisticated understanding of macrocosm and microcosmic relations. In short, it promotes correlative thinking in which the personal and the cosmic dimensions are continually interrelated. The Earth Charter and Global Ethics:
Currently, an Earth Charter is being drafted that will be brought to the United Nations General Assembly for adoption by the year 2000. This is a formidable task in an age which celebrates diversity, multiculturalism, and radical particularity. Whether the human species can agree upon a unifying framework of global ethics for a sustainable future remains to be seen. This process may require three dimensions to be fully effective. One is a sufficiently broad cosmological, evolutionary context; second is the means of deepening human-earth relations through enhancing patterns of interaction with the natural world; and third is a concreteness or embodiment of eco-justice perspectives in laws and institutions. The first calls for the overcoming of the dualism of matter and spirit, the second requires new modes of self cultivation in relation to heaven, earth and humans, and the third elicits the formation of a global ethics, covenants, laws and institutions to embody this more embracing worldview. The overall aim is to set forth parameters and goals for establishing sustainable life and livelihoods for future generations. With this context in mind we turn now to explore the resources of the Confucian tradition in relation to contemporary efforts to forge a comprehensive and inclusive global ethics. Overview of the Confucian Tradition
The acknowledged founder of the Confucian tradition was the sage-teacher K'ung Futzu (551-479 B.C.E.) whose name was latinized by Jesuit missionaries as Confucius. Born into a time of rapid social change, Confucius devoted his life to reestablishing order through rectification of the individual and the state. This involved a program embracing moral, political, and religious components. As a creative transmitter of earlier Chinese traditions, Confucius is said, according to legend, to have compiled the Five Classics, namely, the Book of History, Poetry, Changes, Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The principal teachings of Confucius, as contained in the Analects, emphasize the practice of moral virtues especially humaneness or love (jen) and filiality (hsiao). These were exemplified by the "noble person" (chun tzu) particularly within the five relations, namely, between parent and child, ruler and minister, husband and wife, older and younger siblings, and friend and friend. Confucian thought was further developed in the writings of Mencius (372-289 B.C.E.) and Hsun tzu (298-238 B.C.E.). As a political philosophy, it was utilized during the Han period (206-220 B.C.E) especially with the thought of Tung Chung-Shu (179-104 B.C.E.) The tradition culminated in a Neo-Confucian revival in the eleventh and twelfth centuries which resulted in a new synthesis of the earlier teachings. The major Neo-Confucian thinker, Chu Hsi (I 130-1200), designated four texts as containing the central ideas of Confucian thought. Called the Four Books, they consisted of two chapters from the Book of Rites, namely, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Analects and Mencius. He elevated these to a position of prime importance over the Five Classics mentioned earlier. These texts and Chu Hsi's commentaries on them became, in 1315, the basis of the Chinese civil examination system which endured for nearly six hundred years until 1905. Chu Hsi's synthesis or Neo-Confucianism was recorded in his classic anthology, Reflections on Things at Hand. In this work, Chu provided, for the first time, a comprehensive metaphysical basis for Confucian thought and practice. In response to the Buddhists' metaphysics of emptiness and their perceived tendency towards withdrawal from the world in meditative practices, Chu formulated a this-worldly spirituality based on a balance of religious reverence, ethical practice, scholarly investigation, and political participation. Unlike the Buddhists who saw the attachment to the world of change as the source of suffering, Chu Hsi, and the Neo-Confucians after him, affirmed change as the source of transformation in both the cosmos and the person. Thus Confucian spiritual discipline involved cultivating one's moral nature so as to bring it into harmony with the larger pattern of change in the cosmos. Each moral virtue had its cosmological component. For example, the central virtue of humaneness was seen as that which was the source of fecundity and growth in both the individual and the cosmos. By practicing humaneness, one could effect the "transformation of things" in oneself, in society, and in the cosmos. In so doing, one's deeper identity with reality was recognized as "forming one body with all things." To realize this identification, a rigorous spiritual practice was needed. This involved a development of poles present in earlier Confucian thought, namely, a balancing of religious reverence with an ethical integrity manifested in daily life. For Chu Hsi and later Neo-Confucians such spiritual practice was a central concern. Thus interior meditation became "abiding in reverence," or "rectifying the mind." Moral self-known as "quiet sitting," "abiding in reverence," or "rectifying the mind." Moral self-discipline was known as "making the will sincere," "controlling the desires," and "investigating principle." Through conscientious spiritual effort one could become a "noble person" who was thus able to participate in society and in politics most effectively. While in the earlier Confucian view the ruler was the prime moral leader of the society, in Neo-Confucian 10 Light this duty was extended to all people, with a particular responsibility placed on teachers and government officials. While ritual was primary in the earlier view, spiritual discipline became more significant in Neo-Confucian practice. In both, major emphasis was placed on mutual respect in basic human relations. Neo-Confucian thought and practice spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam where it had a profound affect on their respective cultures. Since 1949, the government of the People's Republic of China has ostensibly repudiated the Confucian heritage. However, the Confucian tradition is currently being reexamined on the mainland, often relying on new publications of Western scholars, especially Tu Weiming, Julia Ching, and Wm. Theodore deBary. Furthermore, as Tu Weiming has noted, we may be entering a third epoch of Confucian humanism in terms of its revival in both East Asia and in the West. The Confucian tradition is one which may make a significant contribution to a shared global ethic because of its broad anthropocosmic vision and its deep commitment to self cultivation as a means of effecting the larger social-political-natural order. This is a tradition which affirms the goodness of human nature and values the importance of education. At the same time, it is committed to social harmony and political stability. These are two primary goals of the Confucian tradition, namely, fostering the moral and intellectual growth of the individual while trying to create appropriate familial structures and stable political institutions. The effort of Confucianism is constantly to balance self and society, the individual and the community. When Confucianism is judged by certain standards (especially contemporary Western democratic principles), it appears not always to be able to live up to its goals of achieving an effective balance at different points in Chinese history. We acknowledge, then, the historical failures of Confucianism (like every religious tradition) to achieve its highest aims. Yet at the same time, we recognize the significant achievement of Confucianism in perpetuating the stability and longevity of Chinese culture as well as in contributing to the cultural identity of East Asia as a whole. The Confucian influence on Korea, Japan, and Vietnam needs to be underscored in this respect. Thus, we are speaking of a tradition which has played a central role in shaping the social, cultural , and political institutions of a large number of the world's people both historically and at present. Indeed, it has been a defining influence in directing the destiny of China -- the world's oldest continuing civilization. This paper, then, acknowledges the very real contradictions that exist in the historical uses and abuses of Confucianism as in all religions and cultural traditions. Confucianism was often seen as an authoritarian political system, a hierarchical social system, and a repressive family system. While the tradition has been used for personal and political control, this is a distortion of its central teachings. Moreover, while the role of women in Confucian societies has not been seen as "liberated" by contemporary standards, this has been true for women in most pre-modern societies around the world. Nonetheless, we will draw on the positive aspects of the tradition to address the question of its potential contributions to a more just and sustainable world order. For it is the universal principles and aspirations of the world's religions that need to be brought to bear on the constructive formation of a global ethics undergirding an equitable system of global governance. From many quarters such a call for a global ethics is emerging, for example, from Hans Kung's Global Ethics Foundation, from Baird Callicott's work on environmental ethics, from the drafting of an Earth Charter, and from the long-term commitments of Global Education Associates to an Earth Covenant. Working Toward a Shared Global Ethic
Confucianism has a profound commitment to establishing a peaceful order though the transformation of the individual. The Great Learning indicates in a series of eight graduated steps that when one wishes to establish a peaceful society, one must first regulate oneself, then one family, and finally the state. The text speaks of the need for understanding roots and branches in order to affect the interconnected network of individual, family, society, and country. Thus, carefully prioritizing and acting in a reflective manner means that peaceful ends will be realized more readily. Again, while this is an ideal goal, the image of concentric circles spreading outward like ripples in a pond calls to mind the ability of the individual to influence change from oneself outwards. video slot regeln spielenThis is central to all Confucian ethics and would be a major contribution to a larger global ethics. This might be called the concentric circle model of ethics. In this model, peace and security rest on this dynamic interplay between the individual and the other key communities in which s/he is imbedded. This is not a dependency model, but rather a responsibility model which reflects the recognition of personal cultivation as the key to a peaceful society. This cultivation rests especially on the sincerity of will which means avoiding self deception and being watchful over oneself when alone. A rigorous reliance on moral individuals is the backbone of regulated families, stable societies, and peaceful nations. This picture of individuals who are self reflective yet contributing to and nurtured by communities is quintessentially Confucian. East Asian societies with these values have been described as "group oriented societies." The underlying implication of this terminology is often that such societies are somehow inferior to the highly individualistic societies of the West. However, it is precisely this group orientation which emphasizes the development of the person in relationship to others that is needed in today's world. This model encourages responsibilities to and cooperation with the larger social and political order. This is something lacking in societies which place individual freedom unconditionally above public responsibility. Hence, we have great difficulty in the contemporary West to establish the grounds for a common good. A peaceful and secure society is impossible without a minimal commitment to a communitarian sensibility, common aspirations, and shared ethical imperatives. It would seem that this is one of the most important contributions that Confucianism can make to a shared global ethic in this regard. In short, peace and security are impossible without a greater sense of common good and shared destiny--of both humans and the earth. These links need to be forged by an ethic of concentric circles where the individual has the security of being connected to interlocking communities and at the same time has the affirmation that his/her development as an individual will add to the flourishing of the entire community. In our times it is essential that the notion of Community include not only humans but the earth as well. This communitarian consciousness is the basis of a lasting peace. Economic and Social Justice
For the Confucian, economic and social justice depended on two key ideas: the importance of virtue over profit and the value of benevolent government over despotic government. The critique of profit reflected in the passage above suggests that the virtues of humanity and righteousness are more important than profit. Indeed, Confucians looked down on profit that exploited others as problematic. For this reason, they valued the work of farmers and artisans above merchants. The former contributed to the common welfare while the latter were more often interested in personal gain. Thus, what was seen as public minded was valued while what was seen as only personally beneficial was seen as suspect. With regard to human government, it was considered the responsibility of the ruler to be a moral example for the people. Without moral righteousness the king could be overthrown. When the ruler possessed moral power, it was said that the people would respond naturally to this kind of leadership. Similarly, if the ruler planned for the needs of the people, especially economically, then there would be order and stability in the nation. The ruler was urged to put his desires for pleasure or comfort aside until the basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter were met. For Mencius the doctrine of humaneness was developed with regard to its application to both government and to the individual. These are the two complementary poles of Confucian thought and Mencius wished to describe how humaneness operates in both these spheres. In doing so he expanded upon the ideas already evident in Confucius' teaching. With regard to humane government, he elaborated the first comprehensive plan for practical reforms. With respect to the individual, lie stressed the importance of balancing the virtues of righteousness and humanity as a corrective to Mo-tzu's idea of universal love for utilitarian ends.3 Righteousness in this sense simply means behavior appropriate to circumstances and within specific spheres beginning with the family and moving outward to the society and the state. It is also implied that distributive justice was a key to establishing social harmony. Humaneness in Government: Throughout his work Mencius calls for benevolent government for the people. He points out how the ruler should share his pleasures with the people and the people will, in turn, respect him. (I:A:2) By seeing himself as father and mother of the people (I:B:7) he will act in a way that is responsive to their needs. Even more concretely, however, a benevolent or humane government can be established through the public responsibility of the ruler in carrying out practical social and economic programs. Mencius suggests measures to be taken for productive, yet ecologically sound, farming, fishing, hunting, animal husbandry, and sericulture. (I:A:3,4,7; 2:A:5) Similarly, specific plans were devised by him for irrigation, taxation, labor, education, and land distribution. Mencius uses numerous examples of the early Sage Kings in setting forth programs by which government can operate both effectively and benevolently. Mencius points out how these programs and laws are incomplete unless humaneness is practiced by the ruler. He writes that while "Goodness alone is not sufficient for government; the law unaided cannot make itself effective." (4:A: 1) Thus, a balance of virtue and law is necessary, for when a ruler is indeed a person of humaneness, "people will turn to him like water flowing downward with a tremendous force." (I:A:6) Furthermore, they will respond to his virtuous nature which they would not do to coercive measures or by surrendering their individual integrity. Rather, "when people submit to the transforming influence of morality they do so sincerely, with admiration in their hearts." (2:A:3) Humaneness in the Person: Mencius believes that a person of humaneness was one who had retained the heart of a new born babe and, in a ruler, this would evoke the favorable response mentioned above. (4:B: 12) For the ruler, or for any citizens to practice humaneness is to strive for a purity of spirit like one's original, unblemished mind. Such practice means, above all, the elimination of all intentions of personal aggrandizement or profit. Mencius opens his work with a passage condemning motives for human action that are measured simply in terms of profit. He stresses that, instead, both the state and the individual should be governed by the principles of humaneness and righteousness. He writes,"Humaneness is one's peaceful abode and righteousness the proper path." (4:A:10) accommodation in KalmarMencius elevates righteousness to a virtue comparable to humaneness for a number of reasons. First, lie wishes to establish a moral principle which will provide a foundation for the operation of humaneness that would be an appropriate contrast to the utilitarianism advocated by Mo-tzu. In so doing lie formulated a compelling directive to purify one's intentions and to be discriminating in one's actions. Thus, to practice humaneness for the sake of what is right means that one can set aside utilitarian or egotistical preoccupations which interfere with sincerity of will. As Mencius writes of the result of such sincerity, "There has never been a person totally true to himself who fails to move others." (4:A:12) Moreover, by linking humaneness and righteousness Mencius provides an alternative to Mo-tzu's idea of universal love without distinctions. Mencius feels universal love is impractical and may lead to unfilial behavior through neglect of immediate family members. So, by stressing righteousness as a part of humaneness, he reaffirms Confucius' teaching that humaneness is rooted in the family and extends outward. For Mencius these kinds of distinctions are important to the cohesion and coherence of the social fabric. For him a discriminating sense of duty is an indispensable counterpart to the practice of humaneness. Human Rights4
Confucianism is a tradition which places primary emphasis on human relations and on the cultivation of virtue so as to enrich these relations and enhance social harmony. In terms of the five key relations mentioned above, it is said that between father and son there should be affection, between ruler and minister, righteousness, between husband and wife, differentiation, between older and younger brothers, proper order, and between friends, faithfulness.6 The relations are meant to be mutual and reciprocal. Clearly throughout Chinese history these ideals of mutuality and reciprocity have frequently been abused by autocratic rulers, oppressive bureaucrats, and tyrannical family situations. This should not be minimized. However, the rights of humans in a Confucian society need to be seen in this context of mutual obligations and responsibilities with regard to human relatives. This is a different emphasis from a western Enlightenment mentality which proclaims human freedoms and rights as inalienable. This sense of individual freedom has been a distinctive feature of the emergence of democratic societies in the west. It has been a rallying call for many other societies in the west struggling to establish democratic constitutions with protecting of minority rights. Some of this has resulted iii an individualism of entitlement rather than an individualism of responsibility. Indeed, this has been carried to an extreme in the United States where 'rights' border on a sacrosanct concept subject to few qualifications or meliorating. On the positive side, the protection of rights by law has been a distinctive feature of democratic societies. Political institutions and processes which defend the individual against the tyranny of the majority are highly prized in the west. It has been argued by Wm. Theodore de Bary and others that while these western concepts and institutions are critical to ensuring necessary freedoms, rites or rituals may serve some of the same functions in East Asian society. The argument has been made that civil society in East Asia has been maintained by elaborate systems of human interchange and community compacts that have Helped people to understand their role and value within a larger configuration of society and political interactions. In its positive manifestations, rituals of exchange have been a social glue which allows for maintaining the dignity and self worth of each person in the exchange. Ritual exchange is measured in language (levels of politeness), in bodily movement (bows), in gift giving (end of year), in seasonal celebrations (New Years, equinox, solstice), or in artistic creations. Ecological Sustainability
Hotels DeutschlandAs Tu Weiming has observed, Confucianism has a profoundly anthropocosmic sensibility for Confucian cosmology situates the human within the dynamic, organic processes of nature not above or controlling those processes. The aim of Confucian self cultivation and social-political philosophy is to achieve harmony of humans with themselves, with one another, and with the cosmos itself. It is the human who completes heaven and earth and forms a triad with them. As The Doctrine of the Mean notes, it is the human who can assist in the transforming and nourishing process of heaven and earth. For Confucians the earth is seen as abundantly fecund, rich with resources and resilient with seasonal change. Of course, there are passages which acknowledge ecological problems such as deforestation in the Ox Mountain passage. However, there is an abiding sense that the concentric community in which the human is embedded includes the natural and cosmic orders. Indeed, harmony in these communities depends on the ability of the human to establish and maintain a balance between the human and natural worlds. There were numerous ritual structures and patterns of correspondence set up to insure this connection, especially in Han Confucian thought. Moreover, Confucian societies affirmed that ecological harmony was not just in terms of reciprocal relations of humans and the earth as a means of self cultivation. Rather ecological sustainability depended on proper cultivation of the land itself. For the government to promote agriculture and sericulture was essential. Moreover, to build appropriate technological assistance for these endeavors was all consuming. Hence huge irrigation projects were undertaken and massive public works were initiated including the building of dikes and canals and constructing storage granaries and roads for transporting goods. All of this implied that ecological Sustainability was primary. Confucian texts, especially Mencius, speak frequently of practical learning to assist agriculture and to insure the good of the commoners. Naturalistic Cosmology
As an example of the intellectual resources of Confucianism, a more detailed discussion follows of some of the key ideas of Confucianism regarding cosmology and ethics. Chinese naturalism as a primary ingredient of Confucianism is characterized by an organic holism and a dynamic vitalism. The organic holism of Confucianism refers to the fact that the universe is viewed as a vast integrated unit not as discrete mechanistic parts. Nature is seen as unified, interconnected, and interpenetrating, constantly relating microcosm and macrocosm. This interconnectedness is already present in the early Confucian tradition in the I Ching and in the Han correspondences of the elements with seasons, directions, colors, and even virtues. Cheng Chung-ying has described the organic naturalism of Confucian cosmology as characterized by "natural naturalization" and "human immanentization" in contrast to the emphasis on rationality and transcendence in Western thought.9 This sense of naturalism and holism is distinguished by the view that there is no Creator God, rather the universe is considered to be a self-generating, organismic process.10 Confucians are traditionally concerned less with theories of origin or with concepts of a personal God than with what they perceive to be the ongoing reality of this self-generating, interrelated universe. This interconnected quality has been described by Tu Weiming as a "continuity of being."11 This implies a kind of great chain of being, which is in continual process and transformation Iinking inorganic, organic, and human life forms. For the Confucians this linkage is a reality because all life is constituted of ch'i, the material force or psycho-physical element of the universe. This is the unifying element of the cosmos and creates the basis for a profound reciprocity between humans and the natural world. This brings us to a second important characteristic of Confucian cosmology, namely its quality of dynamic vitalism inherent in ch'i (material force). It is material force as the substance of life which is the basis for the continuing process of change and transformation in the universe. The term, sheng sheng, (production and reproduction) is used in Confucian texts to illustrate the ongoing creativity and renewal of nature. Furthermore, it constitutes a sophisticated awareness that change is the basis for the interaction and continuation of the web of life systems--mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. And finally, it celebrates transformation as the clearest expression of the creative processes of life with which humans should harmonize their own actions. In essence, human beings are urged to "model themselves on the ceaseless vitality of the cosmic processes."12 This approach is an important key to Confucian thought, for a sense of holism, vitalism, and harmonizing with change provides the metaphysical basis on which an integrated morality can be developed. The extended discussions of the relationship of li (principle) to ch'i (material force) in Neo-Confucianism can be seen as part of the effort to articulate continuity and order in the midst of change. Li is the pattern amidst flux which provides a means of establishing harmony. Clearly this cosmological understanding of the universe as organic holism and dynamic vitalism is essential for the effective formation of an environmental ethics. Without this understanding of the interconnectedness of natural processes it will be difficult to generate the appropriate sense of respect for nature not simply as a resource but as the source of life itself Cultural Identity and Integrity
As one can see in the passage above, to cultivate the Way is to educate. This meant watching oneself and being careful of expressing one's emotions appropriately. To actualize equilibrium and harmony in one's emotions is to allow all things to flourish. This is preserving and nourishing one's integrity in relation to humans and to all life forms. Confucian cultural identity and integrity are based primarily on education and the values of moral cultivation of the individual, such as we see in the passage above. It should be noted that this sense of cultural identity could also be carried to extremes in nationalistic jingo. The Chinese characters for China signify central kingdom and frequently non-Han Chinese were regarded as barbarians as were those peoples outside the middle kingdom (Korea, Japan, Vietnam). The same kind of cultural and nationalistic chauvinism has been evident in these border countries who were deeply influenced by Confucian culture. For example, the debates regarding Japanese identity (known as Nihonjinron) are still raging today in sometimes disturbing ways reminiscent of pre-war nationalist ideology. Yet on the positive side, it can be said that Confucian cultural identity and integrity were maintained and fostered by education. There is perhaps no other civilization which has so highly prized education and made it central to its cultural continuity. Through both family structures and political institutions such as the examination system and local schools education was encouraged. Indeed, as Tu Weiming notes, the cultural DNA of Confucianism has been "ethical values" of human relations and responsibilities carried oil from generation to generation within families. Moreover, the political continuity of Confucian civilization in China has been assisted in part by the examination system which ideally prepared young men to be capable and moral civil servants. As one can see in the passage above, to cultivate tile Way is to educate. This meant watching oneself and being careful of expressing one's emotions appropriately. To actualize equilibrium and harmony in one's emotions is to allow all things to flourish. This is preserving and nourishing one's integrity in relation to humans and to all life forms. Conclusion
To summarize then, some of the values of Confucianism which can contribute to the formation of a global ethics we list the following principles.
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