Talk of Xiao brings us to the greater nature of Confucian humanism, namely the Confucian family value system. As Gu Zhengkun, a professor of world literature at Peking University, argues, China is a society based on family values, while Europe is a society based on interest groups.

China has always endeavored to promote a moral code among its people as if they were, so to speak, one big family. Perhaps that’s why China came together as a united nation as early as 221 BC. Europe only managed this in the late 20th century with the creation of the European Union. While there are many reasons for Europe’s tardiness in regards to unification, one possible cause is a lack of collective identity on the continent, which is in turn a symptom of a lack of emphasis on the family.

Beyond Comparison

Perhaps it’s unfair to compare Europe and China. Europe, after all, is a continent-sized collection of nation states. China is a single country. But in the areas of philosophy and culture, it is fair to compare the two. Europe is united in Christianity and shares a Greco-Roman heritage. China is united, in part, by the legacy of Confucianism.

Europe is a civilization, and so is China. Some have stated this emphatically; Lucian Pye, a renowned American sinologist, once commented, “China is a civilization masquerading as a country.”

But labeling both as “civilizations” is a little misleading. Chinese approach the meaning of civilization, the usual translation of the Chinese word Wenming, differently to Europeans. As Professor Gu Zhengkun explained, “Wenming describes a high level of ethics and gentleness of a people.” In English, “civilization” derives from the Latin civis, which means “city” or “city state” and possesses no moral connotations.

China’s and Europe’s definition of “civilization” may be different, but that doesn’t mean that one can’t learn from the other. I would contend that the path to lasting European unity doesn’t lie in more laws and regulations; rather, Europe should look to China and establish a pragmatic ethical framework based on Chinese concept of harmoniousness, or, to employ the Chinese term, Zhongyong – the Middle Way.

As President of Peking University Zhou Qifeng recently remarked in his speech at the opening of the World Ethics Center: “We need to seek answers to the questions man faces from more culturally diverse perspectives. We shouldn’t find ourselves confined to the parameters of Western philosophy.” To which Swiss philosopher and sinologist Hans Küng replied: “If the concept of human rights is largely a Western contribution, then traditional Chinese culture offers the most abundant resource for the concept of human responsibility.”

Europe could benefit from importing Chinese concepts of human responsibility. As greater numbers of young Europeans head to China for at least part of their fledgling careers, they gain exposure to Chinese philosophy. Hopefully they internalize some of China’s best ideas, among which are The Middle Way and human responsibility, and bring them back to where they are sorely needed – Europe.

Source from China Today