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The Political Dimension of Confucius’s Idea of Ren
Author(s) -
Luo Shirong
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
philosophy compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.973
H-Index - 25
ISSN - 1747-9991
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2012.00482.x
Subject(s) - dimension (graph theory) , politics , constraint (computer aided design) , epistemology , human dimension , philosophy , sociology , degree (music) , political science , law , mathematics , pure mathematics , human rights , physics , geometry , acoustics
This essay argues that there is a political dimension to Confucius’s idea of ren . This thesis is based on a careful analysis of what may be called the definitional passages in the Analects . The author contends that contrary to what may be called the unqualified egalitarian claim, ren is not applicable to every human being because its political aspect requires some degree of constraint in its application.