In an autobiographical account, originally published in the German language for the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution (Roetz 2016b) and reworked for this volume, the author looks at the Cultural Revolution as a critical apogee in the history of subjectivity in China. He discusses the position of the “Frankfurt School” and the “New Left” with regard to China, and points out some disturbing resemblances between German and Chinese modern history.
This paper reconsiders the concept of conscience in the Confucian tradition through an analysis of the Four Books—Lunyu (The Analects), Mengzi (Mencius), Daxue (Great Learning), and Zhongyong 中庸 (On the Practice of the Mean)—within a comparative and interdisciplinary framework. Conscience is reconstructed as a functional constellation, with the heart-mind xin (心) and innate moral knowing liang zhi (良知) at its core, activated by moral emotions (especially “shame” (chi 恥), “aversion” (xiu 羞), and “compassion” (ceyin zhi xin 惻隱之心)) and stabilized through ritual learning, role-reflection, and self-examination. Unlike dominant Western accounts that often portray conscience as an internal, stable, and individual “moral voice”, early Confucian discourse presents moral discernment as a dynamic process cultivated through affective responsiveness, ritual practice, and reflection on one’s social roles. Particular attention is given to Mencian moral psychology, where emotions are not merely subjective reactions but action-guiding ethical intuitions rooted in the “sprouts” (duan 端) of virtue and oriented toward ren (仁) and yi (義). The analysis argues that Confucian conscience is best understood as a moral habitus: an internalized yet evolving disposition shaped through daily self-cultivation (xiushen 修身) and relational participation in social life. At the same time, this account preserves the Mencian claim that moral responsiveness was originally endowed: liang zhi is treated as an innate moral orientation whose clarity and efficacy depend on cultivation, ritual habituation, and reflective extension. By bringing early Confucian texts into dialogue with contemporary moral psychology and ethical theory, the paper offers a culturally grounded alternative to reductive universalist models, while acknowledging Confucian aspirations toward moral universality.
This paper argues that while Chenyang Li’s Confucian philosophy of harmony offers valuable insights that contribute to contemporary philosophical literature, three specific issues warrant careful examination. First, it remains unclear whether “disharmony” carries the same ontological significance as “harmony” within his framework, and whether it possesses an inherent value akin to that of harmony. Secondly, it is essential to investigate whether a consequentialist ethical perspective is embedded in his Confucian philosophy of harmony. Lastly, it may be incorrect, as he suggests, to assert that the Confucian virtue of “harmony” takes precedence over “benevolence” in Confucian theory.
This paper looks at the relationships among Japanese Confucianism, Confucian ethics and Confucianism as philosophy. It examines this relationship from three different angles: first, by examining the transformation of Japanese Confucianism into “Chinese philosophy”, which helped facilitate the Japanese national morality and imperial way discourses; second, by examining an alternative view of the Edo period Japanese Confucianism as having achieved the development of universal Confucian ethics even before the advent of European philosophy in East Asia; and finally, by examining the relationship between Confucian philosophy versus Confucian ritual as highlighted by the development of Japanese Confucianism. Building upon the understanding that Japanese Confucians were also working towards resolving the tensions of the relationship between the particular, universal and exemplary that marked their specific engagement with Confucianism outside of the Chinese cultural context, the paper tries to think about how the cautionary tale of Japanese Confucianism might help inform future philosophical studies of Confucian ethics in the global space.
This interview examines Huang Chun-chieh’s perspective on the contemporary revival of Confucianism and its implications for the 21st century. Conducted with the aim of drawing on Huang’s long-standing expertise, the discussion addresses several key questions: What forms does contemporary Confucian consciousness presently take, and what new forms might emerge? Which elements of the classical tradition retain the greatest relevance for shaping the relationship between the individual and society today? And how might the political and cultural rise of East Asia influence both the trajectory of Confucian studies and the broader Confucian project in the decades to come? Throughout the interview, attention is also given to the way these developments intersect with Huang’s methodological approach of “East Asian Confucianisms”, which emphasizes cultural diversity and historical specificity within the Confucian tradition. The resulting dialogue offers a reflective account of current debates surrounding Confucian revival and its potential future directions.
