The Concept of Filial Piety in East Asian Confucian Culture from the Perspectives of Gadamer and Habermas
Donghyun Kim: Institute of Public Policy & Administration, Chung-Ang University
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/Abstract
This paper examines the role of filial piety in East Asian Confucian societies as a means of drawing out political implications by showing two different standpoints elaborated by Gadamer and Habermas. The two thinkers seem to display different outlooks on the notion of filial piety in the East Asian Confucian culture: Whereas Gadamer appears to approve the practice of filial piety as keeping tradition in the specific societies, i.e., Confucian East Asian culture, Habermas rejects it by refusing the concept of tradition. The debate primarily originates from two different—though both “Western”—philosophical traditions. Gadamer endorses tradition since all human beings are conditioned by the effects of cultural heritage, and events can never be disinterested. All previous contexts of human culture enter into the greater tradition that is transmitted to us through the generations as an inexhaustible stock of moral instruction. On the other hand, in his critique of Gadamer’s appropriation of tradition, Habermas argues that human beings can overcome the dogmatic force of tradition. In Habermas’s account, it is of significant importance to use reason—or critical reflection—in order to overcome such dogmatic force. In short, this paper appropriates Habermas’s charge that Gadamer hypostatizes tradition. In other words, Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics embeds understanding in tradition because all understanding is necessarily prejudiced. Habermas rejects Gadamer’s idea of tradition on the ground that it is absolutizing.
Keywords
Confucianism, Confucian East Asian culture, critical reflection, filial piety, Gadamer, Habermas, traditionPlease login first to access subscription form of article
Kritika Kultura
Department of English
School of Humanities
Ateneo de Manila University
The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) declares Kritika Kultura as a CHED-recognized journal under the Journal Challenge Category of its Journal Incentive Program.
An open-access semi-annual peer-reviewed international electronic journal of literary, language, and cultural studies of the Department of English of the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.
© 2024 All Rights Reserved
Contact Us
- kk@ateneo.edu
- Kritika Kultura Department of English School of Humanities Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Heights 1108 Quezon City, Philippines