Course description
Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought | Humanity and Nature in Chinese Thought
We make ethical or behaviour guiding right / wrong judgments all the time but have you ever wondered where Ethics comes from, what it is about and why it is important? This course provides an introduction to traditional Chinese ethical thought and focuses on the pervasive contrast in the way Chinese and Westerners think about ethical guidance or guidance concerning what is right and what is wrong, good or bad. Traditional Western orthodoxy uses the metaphor of a law – in its most familiar popular form, the command of a supernatural being backed by a threat of eternal punishment or reward – to explain ethical guidance. The Classical Chinese philosophers by contrast were all naturalists. They talked about ethical guidance using a path metaphor – a natural dào.
We will look at two rival directions this natural dào model took in ancient China. The first direction views ethical paths as generated from human sources such as human history and past social practices. The other Confucian version views guidance as arising from a distinctly human guiding organ, something like a combination of our faculties of heart and mind. This organ issues the right/wrong or this/not-that judgements naturally. This internal map to moral choices branches, like a plant, as we mature. The alternative to human-based naturalism in China treated normative guidance as natural in a broader sense, such as the dào of water or one guided by what is beneficial vs harmful.
Upcoming start dates
Who should attend?
Prerequisites
None
Course delivery details
This course is offered through University of Hong Kong, a partner institute of EdX.
2-3 hours per week
Costs
- Verified Track -$50
- Audit Track - Free
Certification / Credits
What you'll learn
- Describe various conceptions of the relation between humanity and nature presented in classical Chinese philosophical thought
- Critically examine these conceptions and identify their strengths and weaknesses
- Reflect on the relation between humanity and nature
- Demonstrate interpretive, analytical and argumentative skills
Contact this provider
edX
edX For Business helps leading companies upskill their labor forces by making the world’s greatest educational resources available to learners across a wide variety of in-demand fields. edX For Business delivers high-quality corporate eLearning to train and engage your employees...