The Problem of Evil in Early Chinese Philosophy
Title: The Problem of Evil in Early Chinese Philosophy
Time: 11 Nov 2022
Site: Online
Speaker: Franklin Perkins
1, how should we situate the problem of
evil in the context of early Chinese philosophy?
2, Mengzi's attempt to reconcile good
actions with an amoral heaven (tian) through natural dispositions (xing)
3, Zhuangzi as a threat to Mengzi's account
1
The mandate of Heaven (e.g. Shangshu, Mozi)
Heaven supports good rulers and thwarts bad
ones.
The problem of evil is: bad people end with good lives; bad things happen to good people.
Response: 鬼神之明(上博简), Mozi,
Xunzi, Mengzi, Zhuangzi
2
problems for Mengzi
1, how we can be motivated to act for the
good even when that will not be rewarded
- our deepest motivations are not for
rewards but from the feelings of the heart
2, why we should act for the good, even
when that conflicts with the order of nature (tian)
- it is what we really want - it is natural
for us
3, can acting for the good still be
supported in terms of going along with nature?
- problem: if the world were just, no one
would have to choose between rightness and life
all three addressed through xing 性
conflicted relationship to tian in the Mengzi
facing war and disorder:
· heaven does
not yet want peace
·my natural
feelings lead me to want peace - looks like a conflict between heaven and human
·heaven gave
me those natural feelings
-really it is a conflict between heaven (as
reflected in the world) and heaven (as expressed in my dispositions)
3 Zhuangzi's Challenge
two challenges to Mengzi's reliance on xing
·if we do not
all have the same nature, then we will not all need to follow the same ethical
norms - hard to say what is most satisfying for our natural emotions and
desires
· how much are
our reactions to things determined by our xing?
- how we react is not just natural but
depends on cultivation and perspective
both challenges are raised in the Zhuangzi