Expanding Ethical Horizons: Rethinking the Ethics of <i>De</i> 德 and <i>Guṇa</i> in the <i>Laozi</i> 老子 and <i>Bhagavad-Gītā</i>
This paper aims to engage in an ethical discussion of <i>de</i> in the <i>Laozi</i> and <i>guṇa</i> in the <i>Bhagavad-Gītā</i> to expand the horizon of our ethical understanding of Chinese and Indian philosophy. First, this paper will explore the diff...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/35 |
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| Summary: | This paper aims to engage in an ethical discussion of <i>de</i> in the <i>Laozi</i> and <i>guṇa</i> in the <i>Bhagavad-Gītā</i> to expand the horizon of our ethical understanding of Chinese and Indian philosophy. First, this paper will explore the different ethical levels of <i>de</i> and <i>guṇa</i> and discuss how these levels operate and are bound together. From an ethical perspective, this paper points out that <i>de</i> and <i>guṇa</i> can each be divided into two parts—higher <i>de</i> and lower <i>de</i>, and higher <i>guṇa</i> and lower <i>guṇa</i>. It will further explain the ethical significance of <i>de</i> and <i>guṇa</i>, arguing that they offer a unique contribution to developing our contemporary understanding of ethics. We will also seek to discover the interplay of <i>de</i> and/with the <i>dao</i> in the <i>Laozi</i> and that among the three <i>guṇas</i> in the <i>Gītā</i> from the perspective of human behaviors. In the conclusion, we will provide a comparative discussion of our findings on the ethics of <i>de</i> and <i>guṇa</i> in the <i>Laozi</i> and the <i>Gītā</i>. These findings suggest that <i>de</i> and <i>guṇa</i> promote a shared philosophical outlook within their respective traditions and thereby make a contribution to post-comparative ethical approaches. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |