Where the Heart Is “at Ease”: On the Foundation of Confucian Ethics of Emotion

Abstract

"Whether emotions can serve as the foundation for morality is what emotional ethics concerns and involves in the first place. Based on the theory of inherent humanity, pre Qin Confucian scholars established the foundation of ethics and morality by distinguishing humans from animals, that is, the “ease of heart” indicates the dynamics and rationality of humanity. They regarded “being true to conscience” and “ease of heart” as the basis for moral behavior. The heart is the source of moral consciousness, and its ease is the foundation of moral behavior. Morality is rooted in people’s natural needs and physical feelings. It concerns the self and evokes a sense of home. “Ease” is not only about ease of conscience but also involves benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette. The ease of heart represents a unity of “emotion and rationality” and “conscience and norms.” This paper reconstructs the basic problem domain of Confucian ethics of emotion from the perspectives of “what is ease,” “where to be at ease,” and “how to be at ease,” reflects on the dilemma posed when interpreting the dichotomy between emotion and rationality, and attempts to explore a “thick concept” approach to interpreting Confucian ethics, so as to better demonstrate the spiritual origin and embodied thinking characteristics of Confucian ethics."

Keywords

Confucian / ethics of emotion / morality / ease of heart / rationality

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2024 Higher Education Press