PH112 Reflection Papers

There is a reason why I am posting these reflection papers online :)

Reflection Paper 1 (Reflection Paper on The Analects)

Human beings are potential beings. With this statement, it seems natural for human beings to always move for progress towards actualization. Thus, human beings have omnipresent longing and desires as the fact of being absolutely complete is not attainable. There will always be room for improvement, dreams to fulfill and goals to achieve. Transcendence entails facing each miniature battles in order to get to the greater and higher level. However, this implies a continuous struggle for survival. The term “struggle” does not necessarily equate to something strenous but this certainly includes continuous movement in order not to lag behind.
Wealth and honor are what every man desires because these statuses affirm superiority and the luxury of working less than other human beings would. However, having wealth and honor is still not the actualization a human being can have. Thus, upon being convinced that these two are already possessed, human beings still have the natural tendency to want for more. It seems impossible to treat this human desire in a teleogical manner becuase wealth and honor can not be seen as an ultimate end because life, as long as person lives, will just give opportunities to acquire more. The end might possibly be acquisition of everything by a single person which is impossible because the world in inexhaustible. Because there is no definite telos, the human desire is characterized by a nature of continuity to aim for more.
While there is nothing wrong with aiming for wealth and honor or more so, for more wealth and honor, the steps towards attaining these two should coincide with moral principles and humanity. Any diversion from morality and humanity defeats the purpose of getting wealth and honor for the sake of human progress. If they (wealth and honor) have been obtained in violation of moral principles, they must not be kept. Honor that has been obtained in violation of moral principles does not deserve to be called “honor” anymore. Should there be an insistence to still term as “honor” what has been gotten through ways that do not fall in accordance with humanity, what is left is mere superficial honor that neither the self nor others genuinely respect and acknowledge. In addition to the fact that honor must not be kept if it has been attained in violation of moral principles, it is evident that it can not be kept. Contrary to this, wealth garnered in violation of moral principles must not be kept even if it is possible to keep it. If a wealthy person chooses to keep immoral wealth, this acquisition is futile because it is not directed towards personal actualization. It does not benefit others as it deprives other people who could have acquired this wealth in a virtuous manner. At the same time, it goes against the nature of the human person that is societal because acquistion not made according to moral principles merely focuses on the self and ignores the need to be relational and sincere in dealing with fellow human beings.
There are conditions in life that human beings have the tendency to aim for and there are also conditions that can be described as negative that a person would naturally avoid them. Usually, it is normal for human beings to exert effort for the avoidance of the things and situation that would deprive them of liberty and comfort. These situations include poverty and being in a humble station. Poverty and being in a humble station are what every man dislikes. Being by nature societal, poverty puts a person in the lower level of the social stratum. Poverty deprives a person to get some of the things needed and wanted in life. Thus, while poverty may not be the direct reason for being unhappy, this poses some relevance for being so.
Given the capacity to act for or against something, a person would naturally opt to move away from poverty and humble station. Upon having this initial choice of what to do, a person also has to make choices on how to act out in order to achieve the initial goal. While freedom allows the person to choose, the sets of choices are not unlimited. Life is not a utopia of endless possibilities because the freedom of the human person is always merely contextualized and situated. There needs to be careful deliberation and weighing of benefits with disadvantages in coming up with a decision. There needs to be a priority which a person would always put at the topmost of the factors to consider when given limited possibilities. If they (poverty and being in a humble station) can be avoided only in violation of moral principles, they must not be avoided. Not even the certainty of a life lived in discomfort justifies the violation of moral principles. It is better to endure poverty and being in a humble station than give in to the temptation of going against humanity for personal gains. There is a need for fidelity to oneself and at the same time, the love for others. Thus, poverty should only be avoided in a way that the means of avoidance would not pose any harm or threat to fellow human beings. Human-heartedness is the most important virtue and it is possible to live through this praxis even if a person is not living in wealth.
The “superior man” in the philosophy of Confucius is none other than the hsun tze, the gentleman and scholar, the ideal man . A superior man never departs from humanity even if there is an opportunity or a tendency to do so. If the superior man gives in to temptation and commit acts against humanity, the superior man loses the title of being a superior man. Not even a good motivation justifies the violation of a man to humanity. A superior man always acts with modesty and caution and never abandons humanity for the lapse of a single meal.
Ren is the basic guiding principle of a superior man and in moments of haste, he acts according to it. It is certain that there will always be moments of haste and confusion because the superior man lives in a complex world. In moments of difficulty and confusion, he acts according to it (moral principles). The knowledge and freedom a person has are the determining factors on how a person will live. The emphasis of Chinese philosophy is on what is (moral qualities) rather than what he has (intellectual and material capacities) . Thus, the possession of knowledge and freedom does not equate to immediate superiority because the more important thing is how this human being utilizes what is by nature given in order to transform into practice what could remain stagnant as thoughts and potential, if left unused. A superior man lives through ren in the spatio-temporal dimension of living everytime. This person is not born with the title superior as superiority among human beings is not inherently present. Although human beings are by nature the same, how human beings exhibit praxis differs and this is what determines a superior man from a man.

Reflection Paper 2 (Reflection Paper on The Doctrine of the Mean)

The human nature is not a blank slate. The self as a being does not emanate from tabula rasa or from nothingness. Human nature states that there is already something inherent to human beings. It suggests that there is an omnipresent nature for human beings to nurture and cultivate. This innate given is the goodness of human beings. However, the goodness quality of each individual does not equate to a world (characterized by interrelationships) that is good in all places, all the time. In spite of the goodness quality of human beings, the reality of living in the world would prove otherwise- that evil and injustice exist.
One may wonder why injustice and inequality exist given that human nature is equally present to individuals. This is due to the fact that in spite of the innate goodness, human beings are also given the capability to hone knowledge and exercise freedom. Before a person can exercise freedom, gain knowledge, and become an arbiter on what is good and what is bad for the self, sincerity is already present. These are the two dimensions of being- passive and active, which suggest that the goodness of human nature which is passive and given should be acted upon by an active response which is education or the cultivation of what one has.
Freedom allows the person to cultivate this goodness, to go against it, or to merely live, with this inherent goodness, taken for granted. Non-cultivation of the human goodness may not be the deliberate choice of human beings; it could be the mere result of desperate attempt to practice sincerity because living out sincerity is a difficult path of mustering the self before it can comprehend and transcend to the nature of others, of things and of the universe. The transcendence of the self entails being able to put into praxis a moral and ethical life in spite of adversity.
Human beings are potential beings. With this statement, it seems natural for human beings to always move for progress towards actualization. Human beings aim for a telos. This telos is the actualization where the self, the things and the universe fall into the right place. However, the falling into place of the self, in relation to others does not equate to reaching a tangible and physical spot that can be located in the spatio-temporal realm. The completion in the form of a union is metaphysical. In as much as the completion of the internal self is essential, the completion of the self that is mentioned in this passage, which can be achieved through sincerity, has a deeper meaning and goes beyond the internal. The authentic completion of the self is the fulfilment of the relations of the self- to others, to society, to things and to the universe. The most vital factor for the completion of the self (unity of the self and nature) is sincerity which brings everything to integral wholeness.
In fact, the total communion of the self with the universe should abolish the separation of the internal and the external from the self because the end means the wholeness and oneness, eliminating the delineation of the self from others. This point is the absolute manifestation of the social dimension of human beings, capable of building interrelationships not just to fellow human beings but also to the things, nature and the universe.
In this case, the definition of sincerity is not limited to simple earnest or genuine feeling. Sincerity is not just a feeling but is a way of living. A life lived in sincerity is a life lived according to The Way. The Way is self-directing however, this self-direction can still be distorted. A human being, with freedom can choose to divert from living out the Way (but not from the Way itself because the Way is very near to man) if he or she happens to be totally encroached upon by worldly matters. Cultivating the Way is called education. From the Latin word educare, education does not end with the grasping of ideas from outside. The point of departure is the self, the human nature that has inherent goodness and sincerity.
There is no precise definition of The Way. However, it can be perceived that living according to the doctrine of the mean can be equated to The Way. Confucius interpreted the mean as not going behind and not falling short. The Way requires the recognition by human beings of the human nature. Only in this can ethics and morality be pursued. In the pursuance of moral perfection, sincerity is essential because sincerity is the only way to attain the actualization of morality. Sincerity is given but it needs to be put into practice and deliberately be chosen through freedom, as a way of life, by human beings. The beginning is always the self. Sincerity is said to be the beginning and end of things. Sincerity is a precondition for being, where being implies the self, in unity with nature and not merely biological and physical survival. Without sincerity, there would be nothing.
The superior man values sincerity. The “superior man” in the philosophy of Confucius is none other than the hsun tze, the gentleman and scholar, the ideal man . The superior man lives out sincerity and lets The Way be. The superior man does not easily give in to worldly temptation of escaping the difficult path of the Way when presented with other easier choices. The superior man seeks to transcend the facticity of the self. Transcendence entails facing each miniature battles in order to get to the greater and higher level. However, this implies a continuous struggle for survival. The term “struggle” does not necessarily equate to something strenuous but this certainly includes continuous movement in order not to lag behind and to keep the self according to The Way.
Ren is the basic guiding principle of a superior man. It is certain that there will always be moments of haste and confusion (threats for divergence from living through the Way) because the superior man lives in a complex world. When thrown into an extreme situation when decisive actions should be implemented, the superior man acts with sincerity to the Way and exemplifies the mean. A person who acts contrary to the mean and inappropriately to what is given is not a superior man, but an inferior man. The superior man has the distinguishing characteristic of a being who loves humanity. The completion of the self means humanity. The self as the nearest point of departure and means for living out the Way can only be completed upon the realization of the goodness of human nature and the cultivation of this good. When a human being is able to understand his or her nature, he or she can understand the nature of others, the nature of things, and the universe.
The completion of all things means wisdom. Wisdom is possessed by the sage. A sage is a spiritual being who forms a triad with the Heaven and the Earth. The sage suggests a superior man who has metaphysical and mystical characteristics. Before arriving at the metaphysical level, the beginning is still the human nature which allows sincerity to result to enlightenment. However, the movement is not a mere passive motion characterized by effortless situatedness. There is an active dimension which is education. Education is the cultivation of the Way that ends with sincerity, given enlightenment. The cyclical motion of sincerity to enlightenment and sincerity shows that sincerity indeed, is the beginning and end of things. Sincerity binds the three interrelated realms of the Chung Yung- ethical, political and metaphysical, and unites the self to what is outside the self, creating an integral wholeness that might oscillate at times but would always revert back to the harmony of the equilibrium.

Reflection Paper 3 (Reflection Paper on The Tao Te Ching)

Human beings have been living with too much concern for the image of the self. While the protection of the self and its image is essential, overdoing it may not be the most effective way. People have chosen to be discreet and tactful to the point that the truth is masqueraded for the sake of not offending others and maintaining a diplomatic image of the self. In living, there are universal values which should be observed. While altruism towards others is important (often manifested in the effort to not hurt others and be nice), there is also an ethical responsibility to safeguard the truth and not distort it for the sake of other reasons like acting in a non-offensive manner.
True words are not beautiful. True words are not beautiful because they include the harsh reality of the world. True words reveal the flaws of human beings and the imperfections of their actions that have resulted in a world which is far from utopia. True words lack euphemisms and any attempt to divert from the meaning of the truth because the attempt to divert from the real meaning poses a threat of misunderstanding or not understanding at all. On the other hand, beautiful words are not true. The end that uses beautiful words as its means does not aim for the truth. It simply wants to keep a safe and good image of the person who utters these beautiful words. In addition to this, beautiful words are used to live a life of denials which is counterproductive because of the absence of acceptance of what is real. With this, what is bad is not given solution but simply presented as good.
A good man does not argue because this act shows arrogance and places the self superior to his or her fellow human beings. Arguing implies other things like the readiness of a person to use all the strength he or she has and the preparedness to violate and win over that of the others. A good man does not have any intention to show off himself. He who argues is not a good man. A good man lives according to the Tao which according to Lao Tze has a metaphysical meaning of an all-embracing principle responsible for the coming to being of the universe. Tao is against arrogance and the superiority assumed by a person who argues manifests this negative act. A good man is one with the others and does not seek dominance but always interdependence, oneness and welfare for everybody.
The sage desires what is undesired. The sage lives simply and makes desires few so as to satisfy only the basic needs and not aim for luxury for the self. The sage does not accumulate for himself. A person of wisdom knows that accumulation is not to be used as a virtue in living because the productive way of living does not have an outside-inside motion. A life framed by the desire to accumulate is bound to fail because the world is inexhaustible and it is impossible to deprive all the others of what they have; thus, the end of personal accumulation is not an achievable end and will only make a person unsatisfied and always in a greedy desire for more. Mastering the self is important to be enlightened before it can relate to others and be one with the others. The more the sage uses for others, the more he has himself. The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own. The sage is an ideal man who lives in a community with others. Communal progress should be emphasized because in this way, chaos will be prevented and peaceful coexistence would be possible.
Wisdom is not achieved through studying and deliberate acquisition of knowledge. A wise man has no extensive knowledge. A wise man recognizes the impossibility of knowing everything. The fact that the ideas and information that can be learned is inexhaustible does not connote a negative concept. It is simply a manifestation of the limitedness of human beings and the necessary acceptance of this situatedness. He who has extensive knowledge is not a wise man. Furthermore, a person aiming to gain extensive knowledge is not a wise man. However, this does not mean that a wise man does not have knowledge at all. There is a difference between primitive ignorance and cultivated ignorance. Knowledgelessness or the dispossession of knowledge is a conscious choice of the sage in order to live a simple life and to let go of the desire to acquire more. However, this does not suggest that all desires should be extinguished. Desires should be moderated and only the excess should be discarded. There is a motion driven by the principle of self-emptying to achieve simplicity and reach the point of non-activity or the Wu Wei.
The mere act of desiring to possess extensive knowledge does not pose the desire for wisdom but this desire diverts and rejects the natural path to wisdom. Wisdom begins with the acknowledgement of the incapability of a person to know everything. There is always a tendency for a person to live a frustrated life if the acquisition of knowledge and other material and worldly things becomes the telos. There will always be more to grasp and more to own and the desirous human being would end up living with futile disappointment and perpetual unsatisfaction. According to Lao Tze, too many desires can result to the loss of the original Te. The loss of the original Te has detrimental effect to the Tao. One cannot live the Way in a fruitful manner if he or she has not the inherent nature of a human being to be cultivated according to the Way.
The last two lines of Tao Te Ching present the necessary interrelationship between the self and others. Both the Way of Heaven and the Way of the sage value the importance of being in harmony with others. The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete. In spite of rejecting competition as a means of achieving things, the sage skilfully achieves victory. This is also in accordance to Wu Wei which suggests acting with naturalness and spontaneity. The naturalness of the way a human being acts is based upon the given Te and the way it is lived or Tao. Having no intention to compete with others also manifests simplicity and does not place the individual to a self-imposed superiority above others. The human person should act naturally and in coexistence with other individuals in a society. The desires should be moderated in order not to have conflicts with the desires of other people and for the safeguarding of the Te which includes the inherent characteristic of a human being.