Title

The Making of Ritual for Recognition: Towards a New Understanding of Xunzi’s Thought

Author

Li Yu-zhong

Genre

Article

Pages

621-650

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Xunzi, the making of ritual, Axel Honneth, recognition, the junzi

Abstract

　　Throughout history, aspects of Xunzi’s thought, in particular his argument that human nature is evil and his approval of autocratic monarchy, have generated a great deal of controversy. Borrowing resources from Axel Honneth’s “Recognition” theory, this article looks at Xunzi’s philosophy from a fresh perspective. It begins by comparing Xunzi with Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) in an effort to show how Xunzi’s conception of ritual was based in a communal context, a fact that opens the door to a dialogue between Xunzi and Honneth. Then, consulting the strategy Honneth employs to construct his theory, I consider the possibility of eliminating the gap between“desire” and “ritual” by placing Xunzi’s notion of desire within the concrete ethical circumstances of daily life. In addition, by revealing the moral tension hidden between Xunzi’s conception of the human nature and the key but ambiguous position of the junzi, I hope to show not only that the process of making ritual is full of social color, but also that it can provide a new source of inspiration for thinking about contemporary politics and ethics.