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Pluralism is an important philosophical alternative to relativism and absolutism. Although Plato is often construed as a philosophical absolutist, we think our understanding of him as such must be tempered by viewing him through the Confucian lens. Similarly, in the case of Aristotle, his position seems somewhat less logos-driven when approached from a Chinese perspective. Instead, his emphasis on practical wisdom,navigating the world while attentive to the particular situation at hand, emerges into the foreground.
Along the way, we speculate about possible contemporary applications of these philosophical views. Should certain modes or uses of language be privileged over others, or does a healthy community attempt to incorporate them all? We argue that Western and Eastern philosophers share at least some commitment to pluralism, and further that this means they would resist the permeation of economic vocabulary into our modem discourses.
With both the Greeks and the Chinese, the movement towards clarity and certainty with respect to their ideas has resulted in what appears as some semblance of dogmatism, when in fact they all recognized ultimately that the ongoing challenges posed by the intricacies of human conversation and community constitution are never fully conquered. Ultimately, the point is not that Plato and Aristotle fail to offer us anything resembling the Confucian emphasis on zhengming. Nor is it that this is precisely what they offer.
By examining this salient dimension of Confucian thought, we must exercise our philosophical imagination to make sense of what is otherwise easily misconstrued. We are also prompted to interrogate and become more cognizant of our own intellectual heritage in the process. In so doing, we are afforded a fresh perspective from which to derive insight into our own philosophical views. We may even come away with novel and more effective ways of living and speaking with each other in the world.
A new full, revised version as an additional analysis for the comparative study of ancient civilizations.
Along the way, we speculate about possible contemporary applications of these philosophical views. Should certain modes or uses of language be privileged over others, or does a healthy community attempt to incorporate them all? We argue that Western and Eastern philosophers share at least some commitment to pluralism, and further that this means they would resist the permeation of economic vocabulary into our modem discourses.
With both the Greeks and the Chinese, the movement towards clarity and certainty with respect to their ideas has resulted in what appears as some semblance of dogmatism, when in fact they all recognized ultimately that the ongoing challenges posed by the intricacies of human conversation and community constitution are never fully conquered. Ultimately, the point is not that Plato and Aristotle fail to offer us anything resembling the Confucian emphasis on zhengming. Nor is it that this is precisely what they offer.
By examining this salient dimension of Confucian thought, we must exercise our philosophical imagination to make sense of what is otherwise easily misconstrued. We are also prompted to interrogate and become more cognizant of our own intellectual heritage in the process. In so doing, we are afforded a fresh perspective from which to derive insight into our own philosophical views. We may even come away with novel and more effective ways of living and speaking with each other in the world.
A new full, revised version as an additional analysis for the comparative study of ancient civilizations.
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- SeriesPhilosophy of Antiquity #4