Abstract
As with other traditions, we need to separate doctrine from historical practice. Confucian doctrine resembles Western virtue ethics in many respects, but has some distinctive characteristics. Aiming for social harmony, it places clearer emphasis on the virtues of social life, revolving around ideas like humaneness and reciprocity. Associated with the focus on social virtues is the distinctive Confucian emphasis on conformity to lǐ, requirements of social ritual, including filial piety. Whatever limitations or distortions in practice these notions may have suffered, they remind us of the importance of people developing an understanding of the social world and the meanings of people’s actions. Confucianism shares with Aristotle an awareness that for individuals to be good, they need moral wisdom as well as other dispositions of character, but Confucianism places greater emphasis on the role of reflection and study in the development of moral wisdom, an emphasis that may be timely in modern business.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aristotle (1934) Nicomachean ethics (trans: Rackham H). Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Audi R (2012) Virtue ethics as a resource in business. Bus Ethics Q 22(2):273–291
Bell DA (2008) China’s new Confucianism. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Chai Cu, Chai W (1973) Confucianism. Barron’s Educational Series, Woodbury
Chan GKY (2008) The relevance and value of Confucianism in contemporary business ethics. J Bus Ethics 77(3):347–360
Confucius (1971) Confucian Analects, the great learning and the doctrine of the mean (trans: Legge J). Dover, New York. First published by Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1893
Crisp R, Slote M (1997) Introduction. In: Crisp R, Slote M (eds) Virtue ethics. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 1–25
de Bary WT (1991) The trouble with Confucianism. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Dull JL (1990) The evolution of government in China. In: Ropp PS (ed) Heritage of China. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 55–85
Ebrey P (1990) Women, marriage, and the family in Chinese history. In: Ropp PS (ed) Heritage of China. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 197–223
Gardner DK (2003) Zhu Xi’s reading of the Analects. Columbia University Press, New York
Hall DL, Ames RT (1987) Thinking through Confucius. State University of New York Press, Albany
Hofstede G, Bond MH (1988) The Confucius connection: from cultural roots to economic growth. Organ Dyn 16(4):5–21
Hursthouse R (1999) On virtue ethics. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Ip PK (2000) Developing virtuous corporations with Chinese characteristics for the twenty-first century. In: Richter F-J (ed) The dragon millennium: Chinese business in the coming world economy. Quorum Books, Westport, pp 183–206
Ip PK (2009) Is Confucianism good for business ethics in China? J Bus Ethics 88(3):463–476
Ivanhoe PJ (2000) Confucian moral self cultivation, 2nd edn. Hackett, Indianapolis
Kim TW, Strudler A (2012) Workplace civility: a Confucian approach. Bus Ethics Q 22(3):557–577
Koehn D (2001) Confucian trustworthiness and the practice of business in China. Bus Ethics Q 11(3):415–429
Koehn D, Leung ASM (2004) Western and Asian business ethics: possibilities and problems. In: Leung K, White S (eds) Handbook of Asian management. Kluwer, Boston, pp 265–292
Kraut R (2001) Aristotle’s ethics. In: Zalta EN (ed) The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, Winter 2012 edn. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/aristotle-ethics/
Kupperman JJ (2004) Tradition and community in the formation of character and self. In: Shun K-L, Wong DB (eds) Confucian ethics: a comparative study of self, autonomy and community. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 103–123
Lai KL (2006) Learning from Chinese philosophies. Ashgate, Aldershot
Lai KL (2008) An introduction to Chinese philosophy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Lam K-CJ (2003) Confucian business ethics and the economy. J Bus Ethics 43(1–2):153–162
Li C (2006) The Confucian ideal of harmony. Philos East West 56(4):583–603
MacIntyre A (1985) After virtue, 2nd edn. Duckworth, London
Makeham J (2005) Guest editor’s introduction. Contemp Chin Thought 36(2):3–17
Provis C (2010) Virtuous decision making for business ethics. J Bus Ethics 91(1):3–16
Provis C (2012) Individuals, groups and business ethics. Routledge, New York
Romar EJ (2002) Virtue is good business: Confucianism as a practical business ethic. J Bus Ethics 38(1/2):119–131
Romar EJ (2013) Confucian virtues and business ethics. In: Luetge C (ed) Handbook of the philosophical foundations of business ethics. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 983–1004
Ross D (1980) Introduction. In: Ackrill JL, Urmson JO (eds) Aristotle: the Nicomachean ethics. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Originally published 1925, pp v–xxiv
Schank RC, Abelson RP (1977) Scripts, plans, goals and understanding. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale
Shun K-L (2004) Conception of the person in early Confucian thought. In: Shun K-L, Wong DB (eds) Confucian ethics: a comparative study of self, autonomy and community. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 183–199
Sim M (2003) The moral self in Confucius and Aristotle. Int Philos Q 43(4):439–462
Solomon RC (1992) Ethics and excellence. Oxford University Press, New York
Swanton C (2003) Virtue ethics: a pluralistic view. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Tu W-m (1978) Humanity and self-cultivation: essays in Confucian thought. Cheng & Tsui, Boston
Tu W-m (1990) The Confucian tradition in Chinese history. In: Ropp PS (ed) Heritage of China. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 112–137
Wang L, Juslin H (2009) The impact of Chinese culture on corporate social responsibility. J Bus Ethics 88(Suppl 3):433–451
Yao X (2000) An introduction to Confucianism. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Yu J (1998) Virtue: Confucius and Aristotle. Philos East West 48(2):323–347
Yu J (2007) The ethics of Confucius and Aristotle. Routledge, New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Provis, C. (2017). Confucianism, Virtue, and Wisdom. In: Sison, A., Beabout, G., Ferrero, I. (eds) Handbook of Virtue Ethics in Business and Management. International Handbooks in Business Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6510-8_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6510-8_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-6509-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6510-8
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities