The Ethical Order in Uniformity: Ethical Thoughts in Chinese Anarchism
Resource
政治科學論叢, 41, 111-150
Journal
政治科學論叢
Journal Issue
41
Pages
111-150
Date Issued
2009-09
Date
2009-09
Author(s)
Abstract
This essay intends to analyze how Chinese anarchists constructed ethical theory for their ideal society. The most influential aspects of anarchism are its criticisms of social constraints. Its constructive aspects are conversely generally regarded as utopian. But, if the Chinese anarchists were convinced that “utopia” was feasible, we must inquire why and how it was to be realized. By gaining a fuller understanding of the plans of the Chinese anarchists, we can probe their theoretical defects and judge whether these plans really were “utopian.” In the ethical thoughts in Chinese anarchists, we also find both critical and constructive aspects. They criticized san’gang (three bonds) and religion harshly as “fake morals,” and sometimes even denied the existence of “morality” itself. However, the “morality” they were referring to actually meant the moral coerciveness from outside, and since they refused all outside restraints, order in future society was all the more dependent upon “inside” morality.
When Chinese anarchists referred to ethics, they made maximum use of scientific knowledge and insisted on moral improvement by the way of science. On the other hand, they also used such concepts as wuwo (anatta) or liangxin (goodness of mind) derived from traditional ways of thinking. This combination of the two aspects often led to intellectual incoherence. This paper is mainly concerned with the traditional aspects. If finds that the thinking of the anarchists was mono-dimensional, that is, they broke the existing diversity in the ethical order for the purpose of solving social conflicts. Therefore, the reality (diversity of human existence) and the theory (uniformity) are separated, and in the end Chinese anarchism shows its idealistic character.
Subjects
無政府主義；中國無政府主義；倫理秩序；無我；朱謙之；Anarchism；Chinese Anarchism；Wuwo；Uniformity；Zhu Qianzhi
Type
journal article
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