顾灵涛译文Word文件下载.docx

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ThisarticleexamineswhetherandtowhatextentConfucianismasaresilientChineseculturaltraditioncanbeusedasasoundbasisofbusinesspracticeandmanagementmodelforChinesecorporationsinthetwenty-firstcentury.UsingthecoreelementsofConfucianism,thearticleconstructsanotionofaConfucianFirmwithitsconceptsofthemoralperson（Junzi）,corehumanmorality（ren,yi,li）,andrelationships（guanxi）,aswellasbenignsocialstructure（harmony）,articulatedincorporateandorganizationalterms.TheConfucianFirmasanidealtypeconstructionislargelyavirtue-basedcorporationasitisinformedandconstitutedbyConfucianismwhich,deepdown,isavirtue-basedethics.ThebasiccharactersoftheConfucianFirm–authoritystructure,socialinteractionpattern,decision-makingprocess,leadership,stakeholderrelationships–aredescribed.Thefirmiscriticallyassessedwithrespecttoitsmorallegitimacyandrelevancetotoday’sChina.

AsChinahasbecomethefactoryoftheworld,ChinesefactoriesandcompanieshavebeenunderincreasingpressurefromtheglobalcommunityandNGOstocomplywithuniversallyacceptedrulesofbusinessethicsinlabourissues,environmentalresponsibilities,andanti-corruptionpractices,amongotherthings.China’srecentCorporateSocialResponsibility（CSR）developmentisoneconspicuousformofitsresponsetothisdemand.EffortshavebeenmadetoemulateanddevelopgoodbusinesspracticefashionedinCSRnormsandvisions.However,CSRasagloballypromotedconceptowesitsorigintoWesterncorporateexperience.DirectlytransportingCSRaspracticedbymanymultinationalsorWesterncompaniestoChinesecorporationsmaynotproduceagoodculturalfitandmayrenderthewholeCSRdevelopmentineffective.HowtointegrateCSRwithChineseculturebecomesstrategicallyimportantforcorporationsthattakebusinessethicsseriously.Today,theso-called‘‘human-based’’and‘‘virtuebased’’businesspracticesrootedinlocalculturalheritagehavebeentoutedasaChineseresponsetothisproblem.Thoughthereseemtobeoverlapsbetweenthe‘‘human-based’’or‘‘virtue-based’’corporationswithConfucianFirm,theformerconceptsareingeneralunsystematicandoftenvagueintheirdetails.Incontrast,theconceptproposedinthisarticleissystematicandricherincontent,makingitmoreeffectivetomakethecriticalassessmentofits

relevanceandlegitimacy.TheConfucianFirmistobeassessedagainstthereasonableuniversalnormsbasedontheconceptofhumanrights.

ThisinvestigationisparticularlyrelevantinthecontextoftheincreasingprominenceofChinaInc.inthewakeoftheriseofChinaasaglobalpower.WhatwouldaChinesecorporationconformingtobothuniversalethicalnormsandbuildingonitsethicalresourcesbelike?

HowrelevantisConfucianismtothebuildingofamodernChinesecorporationthathasagenuinecommitmenttoreasonablenormsofbusinessethics?

TheresultofthisdiscussionmayhaveimplicationsforotherChinesecommunities（Taiwan,HongKong,Singapore,andSouthKorea）whereConfuciantraditionisendorsedandpracticed.

Inwhatfollows,IlayoutthecorephilosophicalelementsofConfucianism,andexaminetheConfucianFirmasmanifestationsoftheseelements.Then,Iassessthemagainstthenormofhumanrightsfortheirrelevanceandlegitimacy.

Confucianism–thecoreelements

Confucianethicsisbasicallyhumanistic,obligationbased,andcollectivisticinnature（Chan,1963;

Ip,1996,2004）.1Itishumanisticinthesensethatitsprimaryconcernisthehumancondition,andisdeeplythis-world-oriented.Transcendentissuesareconcernedonlytotheextentthattheyaffectthewell-beingofhumansociety.Itiscollectivisticbecauseitplacestheimportanceofcollectivevaluesandinterestsoverandaboveindividualvaluesandinterests.Byextension,socialrelationshipsandtheirharmonyareofutmostimportanceinhumansociety.Thefamilyisseenasthemostreveredandanalmostsacredformofhumanrelationshipsandinstitution（Cheng,1944）.Inthislight,Confucianethicsentailsfamilialcollectivism.Itisobligation-basedbecausethemoralityofhumanconductisprimarilyarticulatedintermsofobligationsandobligationexchanges（Yang,1957）,whichrequireanextensivepracticeofvirtues.Confucianvirtuesarehumanmoraltraitsthatneedtobeconsciouslycultivated.Underlyingthesevirtuesisthehumaninbornmoralcapacityofcompassion（ren）andsenseofrightness（yi）,andreciprocity（shu）.

ThecoreofConfucianethicsisconstitutedofthreeelements–ren,yi,andlithatdefinewhatismorallyacceptableinhumansociety.Renisacapacityofcompassionorbenevolenceforfellowhumans.Itisessentiallyexpressedinsocialrelationships.Etymologically,theChineseword‘‘ren’’isstructurallymadeupofthewords‘‘human’’and‘‘two,’’thushighlightingtheessentiallysocialembeddednessofren.Theexerciseofthiscapacityresultsinrenactsandconducts,aswellasmindsetsandmoralsentiments.InthelanguageofConfucianism,thesecompassionateacts,sentimentsandconductsarealsoseenastheactsofde,Confucianismvirtues.Inthissense,renisalsoade,albeitamega-virtuefromwhichothervirtuesarederived.Ofequalimportanceinmoralstatusisyi,whichisbasicallyasenseofmoralrightness,acapacitytodiscernappropriatenessandtherightdirectioninacts,relationships,andotherhumanmatters.Renandyioftenworkinunisontodefinemoralityandtoguideactions.Likeren,yiisanotherConfucianmega-virtue.（YioccupiesacentralpositioninthedoctrinesexpoundedbyMencius.2）Lirepresentsthemanyetiquettes,norms,andprotocolsinbothpersonalandinstitutionallives.Thelegitimacyofliisbasedonrenandyi,,andonlyunderthisconditionarepeopleobligatedtofollowit.Itmeansthatpeopledonothavetheobligationtoobservealiwhichviolatesren.Thoughliisnotinitselfavirtue,observingliisabasicvirtue.

Thequintessenceofren,thecapacityofcompassionwasarticulatedbyConfuciusaszhongshu–anactandattitudeofdealingwithpeople.Zhongshuis,ineffect,theConfucianformulationoftheGoldenRule.Therearetwosensesofzhongshu.Theweaksensesaysthatpeopleshouldnotdotoothersthingsthattheydonotwantotherstodotothem.Thereis,however,astrongsenseofzhongshuthatgoesbeyondwhatisprescribedbyothervarietiesoftheGoldenRuleinothercultures.Topracticezhongshuinthestrongsensemeansthatoneisobligatedtohelpotherstodevelopmorallyintheprocessofdevelopingone’smoralself,whichisseenasamajorlifegoalofaperson.Thismeansthatmoraldevelopmentandflourishingshouldnotbedoneinisolationbutinclosesynchronywithothers.Thus,zhongshurequirespeopletoco-developtheirmoralselvestogetherwithothers,tomorallyco-flourishthemselveswithothers.Thusseen,zhongshuentailsapositiveactofmoralengagementinothers’moralwelfareanddevelopment.

Together,ren,yi,andliformamoralcorethatspawnsandsanctionsanintricatewebofbehaviorguidingmoralvirtuesthateffectivelyserveasanormativesystemgoverningtheethicsofanindividual’spersonalandsociallives.Inadditiontothethreemega-virtues,thevirtuesofwisdomandtrustworthinessareequallyimportantintheConfucianmoralcorpus.Indeed,traditionalChinesecultureandmodernChinesecommunitiesdeemren,yi,li,wisdom,andtrustworthinessasthefivecardinalvirtuesofhumanity.Inadditiontothese,JunziisanothercrucialcomponentoftheConfucianmoralsystem.

Junzi,theexemplaryConfucianmoralperson,isenvisionedtopossessallthecardinalvirtuesespousedinConfucianism.Hesymbolizesthevirtuousofthevirtuous.Inadditiontopossessingthefivecardinalvirtues,Junzialsohasothervirtues,andisreadyandabletoexecutevirtuousactsrelentlesslyandconsistentlyoverhisentirelife.People,especiallytheintelligentsiaandtherulingelites,areurgedtoemulateJunziinthoughtanddeed,andcontinuouslypursuealifeexemplifiedbyJunzi.ThefollowingisalistofattributesofJunziarticulatedintheAnalectsbyConfuciushimself3:

righteous,diligenceinactionsandduties,actingbeforespeaking,prudenceinspeechandwords,actionaligningwithwords,demonstratingfilialpietytoparents,displayingbrotherlyrespectforbrothers,associatingwithmenofmoralprinciples,loveslearning,lovesothers,broadmindedandnon-partisan,takesvirtuesseriously,observesrulesofpropriety,harborsgoodwilltowardothers,accommodating,dignifiedbutnotproud,courageous,steadfast,self-reflective,selfmotivated,fair-minded,zhongshu–observeandexercisetheGoldenRule:

donotdotootherswhatyoudonotwantotherstodotoyou,hasaclearmoralsense,loyal,faithful,serious,principledandconsistent（non-arbitrary）,openminded（notdogmatic）,flexible（notobstinate）,non-egotist,tolerant,reciprocates,compassionate,frugal,hardworkingandtenacious.

WhatarethemajorcharacteristicsofaConfucianperson?

Underfamilialcollectivism,apersonisessentiallysocialinnature.Thenatureofaperson’sselfisdefinedandconstitutedbythebundlesofhisorhersocialrelationshipsintheworld.Withhisorhersociallyembeddedself,aperson’sidentityandplaceintheworldaretobeunderstoodthroughhisorhersocialattachmentsandpositionsinthesocialhierarchy.Theimplicationofthisconceptionisclear.Duetoitssociallyembeddednature,aperson’sinterests,goals,andwell-beinghavetobesociallyshaped,nurtured,andconstrainedbytherelationshipsthepersonishaving.His