Language and Ethics in the Analects

The Taciturn Exemplar

“…In addition, having doubt about the efficacy of speech does not necessarily lead to yearning for a wordless world. Loy Hui‐Chieh admits that Confucius is “skeptical regarding the possibility of a yan [言, literally ‘word’] that is simply efficacious for guiding action, at least in relation to the proper governance of a state” (2013, 154). However, he emphasizes that this skeptical attitude does not lead Confucius to question the usefulness of words on a fundamental level.…”

“…Scholars working on the Analects have offered several explanations regarding how speech can be harmful for people’s moral cultivation. Loy Hui‐Chieh, for instance, points out that eloquence is conceived as incompatible with moral virtue in the Analects because it can lead to hypocrisy (2013). In an Aristotelian fashion, Erin Cline argues that with regard to one’s style of speaking, Confucius is most concerned with “vices of excess” (2009).…”

Learning to Be Reliable: Confucius’ Analects

“…Legge believes that this statement hinted at the inept government of the day (1991: note 23, p. 75). 16 Refer to the helpful discussion of the relation between zhengming and ethics, and whether this passage fits within the ambit of zhengming, in Loy (2014). 17 In earlier work, I suggest that the primary epistemological notion in the Analects is best described as 'knowing to act in the moment' (Lai 2012).…”