Confucianism and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Ching, Julia

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511606861.015

Cited by 24 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Similarly, pacifism receives little attention. But we should note that there are forms of anti‐warism in the Chinese traditions, and that some scholars have argued for a “pacifist bias” (Fairbanks , 7) or a “principled just war pacifism” (Ching , 253) in classical Confucian thinkers. Lo and Twiss themselves identify a “pragmatic pacifism” among Confucians at a time when the people were “sick and tired of decades of war” (2015, 262).…”

Section: A Non‐western (But Still State‐centric) Just Warmentioning

confidence: 96%

Just War Moralities

Palmer‐Fernández¹

2017

Journal of Religious Ethics

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This essay discusses four recent books on the Western, and one book on the classical Chinese, traditions of just war. It concentrates on the jus ad bellum moral criteria (legitimate authority, just cause, and right intention), giving attention to the centrality of the state in just war morality, to some challenges in reconceptualizing the jus ad bellum in the context of non‐state agents, and to controversies over a “presumption against war.”

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Section: A Non‐western (But Still State‐centric) Just Warmentioning

confidence: 96%

Just War Moralities

Palmer‐Fernández¹

2017

Journal of Religious Ethics

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“…As Ching remarks, “[W]e should remember that the ancients attributed such punitive wars to semi‐legendary sage kings . I do not think the Confucian tradition would support today's world powers in arrogating such prerogatives to themselves” (2004, p. 262, emphasis added). Yao also makes this point, writing, “Confucians said that there might be some wars that were just and necessary, but on the other hand all the cases that were presented had happened only in the remote and idealised past” (2004, p. 103).…”

Section: Julia Ching’s “Just War Pacifism”mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mencius and Xunzi on the legitimate use of offensive force: A pacifistic critique of recent just war interpretations

Hagen

2022

Philosophy Compass

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This essay offers a critical evaluation of competing interpretations of the early Confucian thinkers Xunzi and Mencius regarding their view of the legitimacy of war. First, I briefly describe and critique Daniel Bell's "just war" interpretation of Mencius, which is relatively permissive regarding the legitimation of war. I then consider and critique the position of Sumner Twiss and Jonathan Chan regarding Mencius' and Xunzi's ostensible support for what we call "humanitarian intervention," which is also made from a just war perspective. Next, I describe Xinzhong Yao's pacifistic interpretation, offering a slightly qualified defense of it. I then consider reframing this view as "just war pacifism," defending a phrase used in the Confucian context by Julia Ching. Finally, I address the question of whether the pacifistic account is too naïve to attribute to these great Confucian thinkers. I maintain that, on the contrary, it is not naïve. Indeed, it is a position we would do well to give due consideration.

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“…A growing body of research since the turn of the century has provided ample evidence that Chinese traditional political thought developed a sophisticated body of ethical thought on war (Ching 2004;Ivanhoe 2004;Bell 2006;Lewis 2006;Lo 2015;Liu 2014;Lo 2012;Twiss and Chan 2012a;Stalnaker 2012). At least three different paradigms in Chinese moral thinking on war can be identified according to these studies: Confucian, Mohist, and Taoist ethics of war.…”

Section: Chinese Ethics Of War: Three Traditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Tianxia System and the Search for a Common Ground in the Comparative Ethics of War

Frettingham¹,

Hwang²

2018

kjis

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This paper explores the conclusions of recent research on the ethics of war in Chinese traditional political thought, asking how they have been shaped by understandings of the nature, meaning and significance of global ethical diversity. After outlining the major contours of Chinese traditional ethics of war, we propose that the significance of this material has been understood within the terms of both liberal and communitarian meta-ethical assumptions. These assumptions have shaped how the relationship between Chinese and Western traditions has been understood, limiting this research in unhelpful ways. While liberal assumptions lead to authors discounting the distinctiveness of Chinese traditions, communitarian approaches seek to find common ground between traditions to mitigate the danger of intercultural conflict. The common ground solution is ultimately undermined by the communitarian assumptions that made it seem urgent. In response to these problems, we propose that a more radically communitarian mode of engagement should guide the comparative dimension of research into non-Western ethics of war.

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Confucianism and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Cited by 24 publications

References 0 publications

Just War Moralities

Just War Moralities

Mencius and Xunzi on the legitimate use of offensive force: A pacifistic critique of recent just war interpretations

The Tianxia System and the Search for a Common Ground in the Comparative Ethics of War

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