Essay - Confucianism Describe the Unique Characteristics of Chinese Worldviews and Discuss...

Confucianism

Describe the unique characteristics of Chinese worldviews and discuss the significance or the implications ***** these characteristics in relation to the ***** of o*****r traditions such as the Jewish, the Christian or the modern scientific worldviews.

In order to provide an explanation ***** worldview several authors define worldview in different terms. According to Fritj ***** Capra, a social Paradigm is a particular vision of a community ********** where values, perceptions, concepts and practices are being shared among the members of that particular community. The vision of the ***** is the foundation upon which the community would organize itself. (Capra, p.34). According to Bowers worldview w***** that *****hich brought about a sense of legitimacy and coherence to society, the norms present in society, its institutions, and ***** to individual experience and the moral and ***** of individuals. (Bowers, p.52). He gives three examples: namely, sin which ***** original, thought which is rational and ***** would lead ***** empowerment, and finally, intellectual authority to be determined on the basis ***** data. This way, a worldview can be considered as a pair of glasses through which we can see our experiences. While looking through it we get some issues focused, some ***** would *****come blurred, and some, which would disappear totally. But there are certain issues, which ***** cannot see even ***** these *****, something even beyond them. It helps the individual to decide ***** the environment around him, ***** to judge what is right and wrong ***** thus by way of th***** ***** society is *****d by the judgments made ***** the individuals.

By making a d*****tinction between nature and man, between mind and matter and between subject and object, western philosophy, which had ***** origins from Hebrew, ***** Greek philosophy made a du*****l approach towards reality. The ***** ***** rooted in Hebrew tradition believed in a complete separation of God ***** this Universe. The Chinese philosophy on the o*****r hand ***** in the unity of God and the universe. Thus while Western dualistic tendencies emphasized opposition of man with his nature, Ch*****ese monism emphasized a unity of ***** with his nature. The ***** di***** led to considering nature as an object and its study as science; whereas ***** ***** of the human subject or spirit led to logic, to epistemology, ***** to the study of ***** psychology and freedom. Western dualism considering nature as an object stu*****ed it as science while the study of human being or spir***** led ***** psychology, *****, epistemology ***** human freedom. The Chinese giving emphasis on monism and harmony studied aes*****tics more than logic, searching for deeper meanings and not on falsification or verification ***** propositions. T***** resulted in lesser tension ***** ***** *****, comp*****d to that in Western philosophy.

***** would require on how and why Greek and Hebraic traditions were successful even outside the region of their *****igin and as to why they were accepted and fl*****ished in Europe, Great Britain and the New World. These ***** societies having a totally different environment