Where the Heart Is“at Ease”:On the Foundation of Confucian Ethics of Emotion  

作　　者：FU Changzhen 

机构地区：[1]Department of Philosophy and the Institute for Modern Chinese Thought and Culture,East China Normal University,Shanghai 200241,China

出　　处：《Frontiers of Philosophy in China-Selected Publications from Chinese Universities》2024年第3期286-300,共15页中国高等学校学术文摘·哲学(英文版)

基　　金：the Major Project of the National Social Science Fund of China“Rebuilding Ethical Knowledge System in Contemporary China”(No.19ZDA033);the General Project of the National Social Science Fund of China“Research on the Approach to Constructing Modern Ethical Discourse in China”(No.18BZX106).

摘　　要：Whether emotions can serve as the foundation for morality is what emotional ethics concerns and involves in the first place.Based on the theory of inherent humanity,preQin Confucian scholars established the foundation of ethics and morality by distinguishing humans from animals,that is,the“ease of heart”indicates the dynamics and rationality of humanity.They regarded“being true to conscience”and“ease of heart”as the basis for moral behavior.The heart is the source of moral consciousness,and its ease is the foundation of moral behavior.Morality is rooted in people’s natural needs and physical feelings.It concerns the self and evokes a sense of home.“Ease”is not only about ease of conscience but also involves benevolence,righteousness,and etiquette.The ease of heart represents a unity of“emotion and rationality”and“conscience and norms.”This paper reconstructs the basic problem domain of Confucian ethics of emotion from the perspectives of“what is ease,”“where to be at ease,”and“how to be at ease,”reflects on the dilemma posed when interpreting the dichotomy between emotion and rationality,and attempts to explore a“thick concept”approach to interpreting Confucian ethics,so as to better demonstrate the spiritual origin and embodied thinking characteristics of Confucian ethics.

关 键 词：CONFUCIAN ethics of emotion MORALITY ease of heart rationality 

分 类 号：H31[语言文字—英语]