[Vision2020] The Day Confucius Went to the UN

nickgier at roadrunner.com nickgier at roadrunner.com
Tue Dec 9 09:10:51 PST 2008


Hail to the Vision!

I was planning on writing something for the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights and a paper presented at a Chicago conference I attended early in November was just what a I needed for my own angle on the subject.

The full version with pictures of P. C. Chang, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Confucius is attached as a PDF file.

Cherish Human Rights!

Nick Gier

THE DAY CONFUCIUS WENT TO THE UNITED NATIONS:
Chinese Influence in the writing of the Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10th sixty years ago the UN General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The Declaration proclaims that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," and that they have "the right to life, liberty and security of person."  Slavery, torture, and other inhumane treatment are strictly forbidden.	

Some critics of the Declaration claim that it is far too Eurocentric, and it does not do justice to African and Asian ideas of human flourishing. These detractors may be ignorant of the common moral ground shared by ancient cultures. Recent studies about the writing of the Declaration itself may lead them to reconsider their objections.

Chinese philosopher P. C. Chang has now been identified as "the towering intellect" of the committee that sent the final draft the General Assembly in 1948.  Chang received a Ph.D. from Columbia University, became President of Nankai University, and established himself as a major philosopher of education. Chang, more than any other representative on the drafting committee, stressed the importance of combining ethics and rights in the Declaration. 

Far too many people exercise their rights without much moral consideration or concern for others. John Adams and other classical liberal thinkers believed that personal liberty without virtue becomes license to do whatever we want, and we certainly see the negative effects of this self-indulgence in today's society. Confucius would say that we have no sense of shame.

Ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy began with the same assumption that people are basically social beings, and that they thrive only when they develop virtues such as courage, justice, and benevolence.  The Greeks and Chinese believed that we learn virtues from models in our communities: parents, teachers, saints, and sages (if we are lucky to have the latter two).

Even more than the Greeks, the Chinese saw the necessity of balancing the self-regarding virtues--such as courage, patience, and industry--which have led to success in commerce and the professions; and the other-regarding virtues--such as justice, generosity, and compassion--which hold families and society together.

Chang proposed that the Declaration's first article should refer to the Confucian virtue "ren," which is variously translated as humanness, benevolence, or love. The drafting committee chose instead the English word "conscience," a universally shared moral knowledge, and they also added "the spirit of brotherhood" to emphasize the social relations that Chang thought were so important.

Chang's role in drafting all 30 articles was profound. He played a mediating role in Article 18, convincing the Saudis not to press their objections against the right to change one's religion. The issue about Muslims converting to other religions is still a contentious one for conservative Muslims.

In the discussion of Article 29, Chang convinced the delegates to balance individual rights with duties to the community.  Chang argued that only by putting aside "selfish gains" and devoting themselves to their communities could humans "increase their moral stature."  This is a fundamental principle of Confucian ethics.

It is significant to note that the Confucian philosopher Mencius was prescient in insisting that the virtuous person cares for animals as well as human beings.  In his praise for King Xuan, Mencius said that his deep feeling for the suffering of animals was enough to qualify him as king.  "This is how 'ren' works," Mencius said, because it meant that the king had the capacity to care for his people.

P. C. Chang described Confucian ethics as the "art of living."  The Chinese classic Book of Poetry describes the development of the virtuous person as the polishing an uncut gem, and even today we say that the people we admire are real "gems."  Just like expert craftsmen, virtuous people create their moral lives in unique and beautiful ways. 

In his discussion of the development of the virtues, Mencius switches from stones to plants. He believed that we all have virtue sprouts that must be carefully nourished and tended. If they are not, then the virtues shrivel up and die, just as they have done in our contemporary culture.

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights let us all be grateful for the contributions of P. C. Chang, world citizen and Confucian philosopher par excellence, who insisted that human rights have no meaning without a solid moral framework.

Nick Gier taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.  He is deeply indebted to Sumner Twiss' work on Confucianism and human rights.

 

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