Western 'sincerity' and Confucian 'Cheng'

Author: An Y.

Source: Asian Philosophy, Volume 14, Number 2, July 2004 , pp. 155-169(15)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

In philology, both 'sincerity' and 'cheng' primarily mean, 'to be true to oneself'. As a philosophical term, 'sincerity' roots in Aristotle's 'aletheutikos'. In medieval Europe, it is regarded as a neutral value that may either serve or disserve for 'truth.' As for Romantics, it is a positive value, and an individualistic concept whose two elements 'true' and 'self' refer to a person's 'true feeling' and 'individuality'. In contrast, both 'self' and 'true' in Confucianism are universalistic concepts, meaning 'good nature' common to all humans, and 'true feeling' distinguishing them from beasts. Cheng itself means to face one's universal self with universal true feeling.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/0955236042000237390

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