StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the Contemporary World - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author tries to answer the question of whether Confucianism and Islamic ethics are applicable in the contemporary world. The author concludes that the two faiths invite us to embrace the human heart; the heart of togetherness and love towards enhancing peaceful coexistence in this world. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.9% of users find it useful
Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the Contemporary World
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the Contemporary World"

?Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the contemporary world? Confucianism is a type of religion that bases its believe on the basis that life ought to be lived fully and there is nothing like heaven and the afterlife because the two are beyond our human capacity. It teaches its believers on the need to treat each individual equally, to have respect towards one another and in total developing a holistic approach in terms of good relations towards one another, developing good moral and ethical values and therefore enhancing good virtues in every individual. It is in other word translated to mean living good and happy life to every individual without having ideals that are translated to mean nothing at all. For them therefore, reason plays a major role in one’s life than just a mere faith while one is on this world. On the other hand, the Muslim faith also advocates for equity among its members. That every person is equal to the eyes of God and nobody should receive more equality than just the other. The two faiths share a common understanding from the view point of respect of life and with no unfairness in dealing with one another. The major underlying concept for Confucianism is their consideration of truth as being reason from which everything is laid out. Out of reason, every individual will realize the common good, the ethical principles, how to live rightly, and the doctrine of the mean are the key guides in realizing our heaven here on earth. The doctrine of the mean is the central point in the book Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us about Living in the West By T.R. Reid. “Drawing on five years of living with his family in Japan, Reid credits this social phenomenon to the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 b.c.)”, when he says that the peoples’ culture is centered on moral virtues. That everyone is called to the virtue of mean. That is to say that the extreme ends of every action ought not to exist in every individual. Every person need to receive equal treatment with no biasness. The Japanese cultural experience has taught him the fundamental grace that every person is called to. The grace to put the needs of others before ourselves. In this way then we are in a position to enjoy the common good which can only be realized when we practice the doctrine of the mean. If every individual on the other hand is able to practice the doctrine of the mean that he says is in between the extremes; or rather put it this way that the five virtues: “jen yi—righteousness/justice li—religious/moral action chih—wisdom hsin—faithfulness” (Class notes) are the key guides in bringing societal harmony. Only then can we say knowledge leads to virtue, when people are ignorant, their personalities are disorganized, for the unruly desires and passions then control them. By contrast, when people truly know what is good, that is, when they know what promotes harmony, they do what is good (p146). The reason therefore why the western countries will never eliminate the rate of crime, poor economy, poor performance in leadership roles, is lack of good ethical principles that are not based on good reason leading to a society that is based on individualism and egoism motives. T.R. Reid continues to tell us that the Japanese culture is indeed a true culture that every one of us needs to emulate so as to live a true life here on earth. The principle of the common good as narrated in T.R. Reid’s book: Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us about Living in the West can only be realized if and only if we treat others not as our means to an end as Kant puts it but as an end in themselves. We need to know that no human being is created to suffer but all of us need to enjoy life and get help from one another with no partiality. The moral and ethical principles are the basis towards attaining the common good; which is in this regard practicing good leadership, justice in dealing with one another and therefore bringing the equality that all is yearning for. Plato’s pupil Aristotle held that the common good is that ability of attaining total freedom and happiness. Happiness would refer more to the satisfaction of man’s spiritual powers through the kind of activity which perfects those same faculties on account of its being directed to noble objects. This doctrine implies maintaining some kind of moderation in our actions. It involves some kind of employing practical wisdom and awareness of the need for moderation in every decision making situation. So the best way for us to achieve the good which should be the goal of every American citizen is to behave in terms of morality in accordance with the “mean”. In order for us to achieve the good which is in this regard happiness, moderation needs to be in place. For Aristotle, acting moderately is allied with virtue. Courage for example, is the mean between cowardice and rashness. It is further important to note that while one would concede the doctrine of moderation can assist us to avert social and moral problems in certain explosive situations, it is difficult to admit that there could be a universal parameter for knowing what a moderate course of action should be. Thus acting moderately becomes relativistic. In this way therefore no one will be able to say or judge a course of action as morally good or bad since our individual perception of “moderation”, in action must differ. Since every individual exists in his or her own unique situation, this means by implication that each individual has to figure out for himself or herself how to act in his or her own unique situation. But in conclusion, the two faiths invite us to embrace the human heart; the heart of togetherness and love towards enhancing peaceful coexistence in this world. Works Cited Frankena, William K., (Ethics 2nd Edition), New Delhi: prentice Hall of India Ltd., 2001. Class Notes T.R. Reid., Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us about Living in the West. London: Oxford University Press, 1963. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Judaism and Christianity Essay Options Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Judaism and Christianity Essay Options Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1496743-judaism-and-christianity-essay-options
(Judaism and Christianity Essay Options Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Judaism and Christianity Essay Options Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1496743-judaism-and-christianity-essay-options.
“Judaism and Christianity Essay Options Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1496743-judaism-and-christianity-essay-options.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Are Confucianism and Islamic Ethics Applicable in the Contemporary World

Ethics in an Information Age

This non-consequential theory of virtue-based ethics is applicable to the device holder of alibi, who is monitored for all the activities and must follow some ethics for proving him the innocent and a good one.... A writer of the paper "ethics in an Information Age" reports that the privacy issue is totally concerned with one's private information.... The level of access to the information is handled under the accessibility concern of ethics (Mason)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Islamic religion and culture

In these critical and severe circumstances, all governments… of the Islamic world should take suitable steps to eliminate those issues which are standing-in as threats to the progression of the Islamic world without having clashes with the western countries and keeping friendly relationships with all countries of the western going into the topic of critical period being faced by the Islamic world and then finding out those factors which are to be explored by the Islamic countries to sort out those challenges and problems, let's first know what Islam is....
5 Pages (1250 words) Admission/Application Essay

Islam an Political Structrue

Without a doubt, Islamic politics has become a Islam is one of the most famous religions that is has been practiced all over the world.... The elected leader should not be transgressor or be ignorant in his world views.... Furthermore, it serves as a critical point of the tensions between the implementation of Shariah in Middle East and the urge for Democracy throughout the world.... Tamara Sonn, author of the A brief history of Islam,… Sonn discusses the life of Muhammad and the enlightenment era in which islamic ideals were developed. One of the key issues relating to Islam is politics....
2 Pages (500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Islam

The physical battle fought by Muslims in the world is what the West dislikes.... Discussion 2: “Jihad and Peace”The islamic goal is to submit to God.... God Almighty was the name the early Hebrews used in reference to EL Shaddai while El, Eloah in singular and in plural Elohim means God especially in reference to non-Hebrews who worshipped… Allah, which many Muslims believe to be their God, is a wrong reference to be the real God people worship....
2 Pages (500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Deviation between Islamic Teachings and Practice

Translations into the local languages of the Islamic world, are not independent books, but rather interlinear commentaries on the meaning of the text and aids to make the teachings of Islam more simpler to understand.... This paper, Deviation between islamic Teachings and Practice, presents Islam as being a diverse religious, which has crossed many cultural boundaries where people from various regions have been influenced by its doctrines and rituals and have adapted it to their specific contexts....
10 Pages (2500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Islamic Religion and Culture

The paper "Islamic Religion and Culture" highlights that in this critical period on the Islamic world, Muslim countries should try to strengthen their educational, technological, economic and political powers in order to cop up with the challenges of 21st century.... Terrorism in any part of the world has a deep impact on the economic stability of the whole world.... Wherever any terrorist activity takes place, the impact is on the whole world and investors stop their money from investing it in the market which results in economic instability Before going into the issue of determining the challenges which are faced by the Islamic world these days and then finding out those factors which are to be explored by the Islamic countries to sort out those challenges and problems, let's first describe the religion 'Islam'....
5 Pages (1250 words) Admission/Application Essay

Jihad in Relation to Other Islamic Tenets

This paper, Jihad in Relation to Other islamic Tenets, highlights that Jihad has become their most frequent excuse for perpetuating their acts of terrorism; that is, according to them, they are merely retaliating for America's (real or perceived) oppression of Muslims.... nbsp;… This paper's content will delve into the islamic faith, specifically, the concept of jihad, both as most understand it, and as for how it is really defined.... Thus, this paper's content will delve into the islamic faith, specifically, the concept of jihad, both as most understand it, and as of how it is really defined....
8 Pages (2000 words) Admission/Application Essay

Religious Violence - Christianity Versus Islam

For example, Muslims confrontations about militant extremism rise and how the world view Islam as full of violence, Judaism is trying to cope with such difficulties like suicide bombing, Palestinians struggle, and also the challenge of the military power.... The public mind has been made to think that violence emanates from religious differences....
8 Pages (2000 words) Admission/Application Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us