Moral Theory and Practice: A Profile of East Asia - Coursework Example

Moral Theory and Practice: A Profile of East Asia Distance is not the sole divider of the Asian regions from the Western part of the world. There are a number of other factors that make the difference between these two areas of the globe, including moral theory and practice. Given that East Asia has been subject to its set of influences and ideologies, it is likely that these foundations have molded the moral aspects of countries in the present-day East Asia. It is from this line of thought that this current paper gathers its goal. Particularly, the primary aim of this paper is to discuss what characterizes the East Asian moral theory and practice. In order to gather a well-defined profile, this paper will dissect different factors concerning moral systems and values before it proceeds to a general discussion of the topic. Many works that detail the development of East Asia come into the consensus that the progress of societies within the region is the result of diffusion from the Westernmost parts of the world. This common belief is evident in the 2011 work of Holcombe and the 2014 work of Ebrey and Walthall both of which considered that the development of East Asia can in part be attributed to the West. Holcombe in particular discussed that it has been an accepted belief that civilization spread Eastward into Asia from a “universal point of origin” (12). Meanwhile, Ebrey and Walthall pointed out that the East Asian region has not developed on its own; rather, it has gathered from many sources. This led the authors to highlight “East Asia has always been part of Eurasia” (2). If the above paragraph be considered in-depth, it is noticeable that it contradicts the introductory statement of this paper regarding the East-West divide in many factors. Given that the previous paragraph tackled how civilizations in East Asia originated from a Western source, it begs the question on why there exists a difference between the moral theory and practice of East Asia from that of the West. In reflection, this paper thinks that the East Asian countries still vary from its Western counterparts because people within these regions alone have already started to develop their identity even when formal civilizations have reached them. These innate values and beliefs may be the main reasons that set East Asia’s moral theory and practices apart. In addition to this realization, this paper also considers the highly extensive discussion of the lectures on the aspect of morality. This paper has learned through the course of the lessons that moral undertones have already been present on East Asia as early as the 1600s (Lecture Note Nov 19-21 pdf). These undertones are majorly concentrated on China because of their political and environmental landscape at the time. For one, the issue on the population growth was turned into a pressing one. The question on controlling the population versus letting it grow had turned into a debate because of the issue on both sides. On one end, control of population growth would be strategic for the country since it can accommodate numerous opportunities (i.e., land reclamation) and economic development (Lecture Note Nov 19-21 pdf). Due to the divided view on the aspect of population growth control, it can be deduced that China’s earlier take on moral theory is a strong one. The high consideration for the value of life suggests that the control of the population is a hard issue for them because it could mean the curtailment of potential human life. At present day, it is a known fact that the country has put in place the population control policy (family planning) for decades now. The implementation of the family planning policy suggests that the moral practice of China is evolving. This paper does not mean, however that China’s moral considerations have run low due to the adoption of the family planning policy. Instead, this paper interprets it as an evolution of priorities. The way China practices morality nowadays is through the recognition that they have a responsibility to protect their population. They can only do that by taking into account the benefits they can reap if they become better in respective areas such as economic and environmental scopes. Aside from the depiction of moral theory in family planning, another aspect that characterizes the moral landscape of East Asia is in their political economy. This is not concentrated in China alone; rather, it extend to areas such as Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam (Lecture Note Nov 19-21 pdf). Much as there were debates on the adoption of family planning in China, East Asia also went through decision-making processes on its region’s political economy. These processes involved deciding for allocations on market and politics—both of which considered a moral facet before proceeding. Delving deeper into this, the lectures also reveal that East Asian moral practice is largely influenced by Confucian thought. Among the indicators of this is the recognition that must markets and commercialization in general (Lecture Note Nov 19-21 pdf). It is within this area that the region takes into account various factors like the potential risk of factors, among other things. It is also notable that it is in these economic and market conditions that the moral practice of East Asia manifest. For example, particular attention is given to things like inflation, the characteristics of supply and demand, and other things. From the characteristic highlighted in the previous paragraph, it can be gathered that the moral theory and practice of East Asia highly regard the effect of any action towards people. Although the context can be interpreted in more technical terms, it is still evident that different matters (i.e., economic) are considered by detecting its impact on the population. The intense regard for people shows that there is greater collectivism in East Asia. True enough, modern day societies that are within the reach of the region are characterized by being collectivist societies. This suggests that another characteristic of the moral theory and practice in East Asia is that it is rooted in the welfare of the general public or population. However, the moral profile of East Asia is not restricted to its economic and political facets alone. There is also a large consideration on the aspect of living. Most of the moral theory concerning this aspect can be gathered from the teachings of Mencius who was a philosopher that also embodied Confucian thought. As opposed to the market- and economic-related areas mentioned earlier, the discussions of Mencius delve on the morality of the day-to-day actions of people. This can equate to the social conditions of human beings. Covered in this realm are the issues on naturalness versus artifice, the cost of commitment and balance, among other things (Lecture Note December 1 pdf). Still, this paper takes an important notice on Mencius’ discussion regarding the threefold problem. In reviewing this section, it can be deduced that the bulk of moral theory is carefully considered by the philosopher. This can be seen in the inclusion of a) the general problem of morality, b) moral systems in East Asia and c) virtues as a whole. These areas relate to different considerations when going about the everyday lives of people (Lecture Note December 1 pdf). For example, under Mencius’ statement on the problem of morality is an issue on belief and behavior and their relationship to each other. There is a comparison made between East Asia and the Western process wherein East Asia is said to concede to moral practice by performing what is the required duty. On the other hand, the West is said to differ in practice because they proceed with moral practice by choice (Lecture Note December 1 pdf). From this contrast alone, it can be identified that East Asia moral practice is controlled by a higher power compared to Westerners. While moral practice by choice is indicative of free will, East Asia’s moral practice by performance of duty exemplifies that it is more restrained. This exudes that East Asian moral practice is majorly influenced by religion. Having religion included in the profile of East Asia in its moral theory and practice suggests that there is a specific way which people to proceed with their actions. This designated way depends on the foundations of the belief that the population is following. This reveals another characteristic of East Asia moral practice: it is guided by the people’s faith in a common ideology. Looking back at the previous characteristics pointed out by this paper, religious influence is consistent with its overall profile. The line of thought by Mencius is further discussed in the work of De Bary and Bloom, who relayed the philosopher’s explanation between humanness and rightness. The authors quote Mencius himself in the claim that equated “humanness” to the “human mind” and “rightness” to the “human path” (152). If this excerpt is scrutinized properly, it can be assessed that it still goes back to the characteristic of East Asian moral practice in having a guiding principle. In addition, the work of De Bary and Bloom continue to quote Mencius in saying “those who follow part of themselves that is great become great persons” (153). At first glance, it may seem that the aforementioned quote contradicts the characteristic of East Asian moral practice regarding performance of duty due to the part of following oneself. The context of following oneself here may appear to be moral practice of choice rather than performance of duty because this indicated free will. However, in closer examination, it remains consistent with the East Asian moral profile because following the greater part of people can also be equivalent to the dictates of faith/religion. Given that it is evident how East Asian religion largely impacts their people’s values, the path to greatness can be equated to following the teachings in religion. Hence, even if it appears that an individual is making his/her own choices in following the so-called great path, he/she is still in that path because that individual is abiding with the teachings that the religion contain. This means that the moral practice that will take place is still a person’s performance of duty. Although this does not introduce a new characteristic to the profile of East Asian moral theory and practice, it affirms the quality mentioned earlier regarding the existence of a guiding power. Much like the invisible hand proposed by Adam Smith that guides the economy, religion is the invisible hand that shapes East Asia’s moral theory and practice. Overall, it can be gathered that East Asian moral theory and practice take strong roots from the past. The rich culture of the region and its background towards development are some of the factors that dictate how they do their moral processes. A large influence from Confucian teachings, as well as the accounts of Mencius, indicates that the region’s moral landscape delves heavily on doing what is good. The lingering conservatism of East Asian countries up to the present is one proof that the religion has shaped their moral practice (i.e., China and Korea, etc.). More importantly, the high consideration of performance in duty for moral practice revealed that East Asia is a more religious region compared to its neighboring areas. This leaning on faith may also be one of the reasons why it differs from the West. In conclusion, the main purpose of this paper was to discuss and explain the moral theory and practice of the East Asian region. To conduct an extensive profile, this paper resorted to the resources advised and lectured shared in class. The research on these named resources returned that East Asia moral theory and practice can be traced back largely to Confucian teachings and belief. The point that can be considered as most important by this paper is the difference between East Asia from the West regarding moral practice. While Western moral landscape suggests a free-will character, East Asia’s profile is indicative of abiding with certain guidelines. For the case of East Asia, its religious character and heavy reliance on early teachings are the ones that serve as parameters for their moral practice. More importantly, these teachings equate moral action to doing well. However, despite the seemingly strict profile of moral practice, this paper has found that the region’s processes are slowly evolving to accommodate other priorities (i.e., environmental and social welfare). In the end, this paper has gathered that East Asia’s profile on moral theory and practice appear to be conservative than most countries around the world at present. East Asia has a long way to go for development. Works Cited De Bary. Wm. Theodore, and Irene Bloom. Sources of Chinese Tradition: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Print. Ebrey, Patricia, and Anne Walthall. East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. 3rd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014. Print. Lecturer Note. 19 Nov. 2014. Lecture. Lecture Note. 01 Dec. 2014. Lecture. Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Read More