ERIC Number: EJ1388930
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1857
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5812
Learning from Exemplars in Confucius' "Analects": The Centrality of Reflective Observation
Lai, Yu-Yi; Lai, Karyn
Educational Philosophy and Theory, v55 n7 p797-808 2023
Exemplarism -- the view that exemplary people, whom we admire, are the bearers of our moral concepts -- presents considerable challenges to the (widely-assumed) place of moral "theory" in how we learn to be moral. Exemplarism has been garnered by Amy Olberding to articulate a Confucian approach to moral learning. This paper extends Exemplarism by considering how it may be put into practice, based on a seminal Confucian text, the "Analects of Confucius." To date, the majority of discussions on Confucian ethics that have brought Confucian philosophy to the attention of Anglophone scholars tend to focus on conceptually-based matters. There remain questions regarding how these values may be inculcated and "embodied" in our moral lives. Central to our proposal is the practice of reflective observation ("guan" [character omitted]), comprised by three integrated components: observation, evaluation, and emulation. Observing, reflectively, is important not only for an individual's acculturation to existing norms and practices but also for how they may subsequently exercise some latitude over their moral practices. Our reflections offer a practical approach to Confucian moral learning. In doing so, we demystify moral learning in Confucianism and open up avenues for future cross-tradition dialogues on moral education.
Descriptors: Confucianism, Educational Philosophy, Reflection, Observation, Ethics, Asian Culture, Ethical Instruction
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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