Virtues of Cultural Engagement in Confucius’ Philosophy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69598/artssu.2022.327.Keywords:
Confucius’ philosophy, multiculturalism, virtues of cultural engagementAbstract
Confucius’ philosophical project of nurturing human communities and reviving the Zhou tradition might be misunderstood that Confucius supports the domination of a moral and cultural system above other different cultures. This research paper aims to analyze Confucius’ notion of multiculturalism in the Analects by proposing that Confucius’ philosophical project promotes the value of cultural diversity and collective existence as a multicultural society. This is because the process of cultural and ethical refinement in Confucian ethics cultivates an exemplary person or junzi to possess, at least, three virtues of cultural engagement which are crucial for constructing a Confucian multicultural society. First, to cultivate oneself to recognize identity and human dignity of others. Second, to practice rituals to communicate and express recognition of others. And third, to extend possible relationships to strangers by mitigating unfamiliarity and otherness.
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