Confucian and Feminist Notions of Relational Self and Reciprocity: a Comparative Study

Confucian ethics and feminist ethics of ‘care’ both emphasize people’s interdependency, positioning ‘ren’ and ‘care,’ respectively, as the most fundamental value of their ethical theories. Both argue that care as a theory and practice can extend to the public domain to accomplish its task of taking care of all people in need. Nevertheless, there are significant differences both historically and conceptually between the two theories. My goal in this paper is to clarify whether the Confucian notion of selfhood, because of its deep commitment to social harmony and hierarchy, excludes a serious engagement in the social ideal of equality and in gender equality in particular. I will also explore the ways in which attention to the Confucian notion of selfhood can enrich the feminist notions of reciprocity and ‘self-other relationships’. Both can learn from each other to enrich an understanding of ourselves. Scholars have begun to recognize that the ‘relational view of the self’ developed by Western feminists has interesting parallels to the Confucian notion of the self. I will explore the parallels between the two concepts of self: is the feminist concept of the relational self a helpful one for understanding (and undertaking a critique of) the status of women in contemporary China? And what lessons can Western feminists learn by attending to the Confucian notion of the self? Confucian ethics and feminist ethics of care both emphasize people’s interdependency, positioning ren and care, respectively, as the most fundamental value of their ethical theories. Both argue that care as a theory and practice can extend to the public domain to accomplish its task of taking care of all people in need. Nevertheless, there are significant differences both historically and conceptually between the two theories. My goal in this paper is to clarify whether the Confucian notion of selfhood, because of its deep commitment to social harmony and hierarchy, excludes a serious engagement in the social ideal of equality and in gender equality in particular. I will also explore the ways in which attention to the Confucian notion of selfhood can enrich the feminist notions of reciprocity and ‘self-other relationships’. Both can learn from each other to enrich an understanding of ourselves. I will start with an interpretation from two perspectives and examine debates on Confucian ethics and its oppressive views of women and how the value of care extends to social issues. Next, I will closely examine Confucian and feminist Dr. LIJUN YUAN, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA. Email: [email protected].