부산대학교 도서관

It is rewarding to review the complicated relationship between Christian and Confucian cultures in the light of their capacities to respond to fundamental challenges raised by global modernisation processes. This paper argues in programmatic terms for the hypothesis that Christian and Confucian approaches need not be regarded as mutually exclusive, notwithstanding their different meta-perspectives. A case discussion of the moral developmental program of the Great Learning (Daxue) and its significance for core issues of modern philosophical ethics, as exemplified by biomedical ethics, indicates opportunities for a sufficiently robust common moral perspective that should be pursued systematically. This paper closes with the notion that, whilst grave differences in the ritual formalities and metaphysical anthropology remain, such as about the meaning of family or the original sin, a disciplined practical focus can open perspectives towards common moral rationales. Confucian and Christian cultures of ethics share capacities for pursuing more than merely strategic affiances. They can support different levels of humanistic and enlightened critique against utilitarian or technical approaches to globalising modernisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]