Translation - Analects 2.8 The Difficulty is Expression

子夏問孝。子曰：「色難。有事弟子服其勞，有酒食先生饌，曾是以為孝乎？」

Zǐ xià wèn xiào. Zǐ yuē: "Sè nán. Yǒu shì, dì zǐ fú qí láo; yǒu jiǔ shí, xiān shēng zhuàn; céng shì yǐ wéi xiào hū?"

Zixia asked about (being) filial. The Master said, "Countenance (is) difficult. (If) there are affairs, the young wear them (and) toil. (If) there is food and drink, (they) support the elders. Is this to be taken as filial piety?"

Again, this points to the problem of "color," or countenance. It might also be translated as "one's expression." The key to understanding the role of expression or countenance in the Confucian analects relies on playing the idea against the standard assumptions of filial piety. Zixia's question suggests this idea of filial piety is already part of the cultural discourse. Confucius acknowledges what might be part of this conventional view in his answer: taking on the labor of one's elders and ensuring one's elders are well-fed (and plied with appropriate drink).

However, Confucius suggests it would be a mistake to take these actions for filial piety. Being filial goes beyond mere support (2.7).

So what does Confucius take for filial piety? This passage provides one clue, which is the idea of one's countenance. This may appear superficial (pun intended?) but less so if think about emotional expression. Mencius eventually provides a clear psychological model of expression: we feel impulses in relation to our environment, and by acting on those impulses we bring about moral behavior. Despite the external nature of the expression, Mencius regards the moral impulse is internal to the person. The moral impulse may be internal, but those impulses occur within an environment and require proper expression.

So, what does this suggest about expression in the analects? The countenance, or one's expression, should be an expression of the relationship between parents and children. In Confucius' view, those who are treated with benevolence (kindness and charity) are unlikely to rebel (1.2). This holds for both parents and rulers, and suggests the parents and rulers have an obligation to care for their charges, whether children or subjects. Confucius explicitly states that filial piety can be recognized by the worry that parents feel for their children (2.6), and this presumably extends to rulers being concerned for their subjects. The reason one's expression is a difficult component of filial piety is that a genuine expression of appreciation results from a longstanding cultivation of a relationship. This idea surpasses the idea of filial piety as simply caring for one's elders, and suggests the reciprocal component of the relationship is a necessary precondition of the expression of filial piety.

Translation - Analects 2.7 Those who are filial today.

子游問孝。子曰：「今之孝者，是謂能養。至於犬馬，皆能有養；不敬，何以別乎？」

Zǐ Yóu wèn xiào. Zǐ yuē, "Jīn zhī xiào zhě, shì wèi néng yǎng. Zhì yú quǎn mǎ, jiē néng yǒu yǎng; bù jìng, hé yǐ bié hū?"

Zi You asked (about) being filial. The Master said, "Those who are filial today, are called so because (they) can nourish (the elderly). As for dogs and horses, anyone can be nourishing. (This is) not enough - what is the difference (between us and them)?

Zi You asked (about) being filial. The Master said, "Those who are filial today, they are called so because they can nourish the elderly. But if we extend this to dogs and horses, then anyone can be called nourishing. This is not enough! How can we distinguish ourselves?

至於 zhì yú = as far as (up to + in this location)

何以 hé yǐ = why/how (by what means)

The use of 養 is interesting. In modern Chinese the term is usually reserved for raising children or animals; the idea is one of providing care to living beings who require care. I tend to connect 養 to a sense of nourishing life. Confucius' answer cleverly does not actually answer what it means to be filial, but his answer implies that being filial both (1) involves caring for the vulnerable and weak; and (2) that those who are regarded as filial today simply provide food. But for Confucius, simply providing food is not enough. How do we distinguish caring for the elderly from caring for dogs and horses? The answer doesn't appear in this passage, but it does appear in the next passage (2.8): the issue is the countenance. This is previewed in 1.7, where the virtuous exert themselves for others (note: the commentaries appear to disagree on the meaning of 賢賢易色, but the putting forth of effort is clear).

We might discuss the relation of this to performance, but in English the term often performance implies a non-integral addition. For the Confucian project, however, one's emotional expression is an intimate component of moral behavior. This is particularly true for Mencius, who explicitly describes the relationship between internal feelings and external acdtions. For Mencius, the idea of expression is not simply a superficial external qualifier added to a fundamentally separate moral action. Rather, the mode of expression is viewed as the culmination of expressing the emotional impulse (or sprout) that occurs as a result of the filial relationship.

Translation - Analects 2.4 I set my heart on learning.

子曰：「吾十有五而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。」

Zǐ yuē:`Wú shí yǒu wǔ ér zhì yú xué, sānshí érlì, sìshí ér bùhuò, wǔshí ér zhī tiānmìng, liùshí ér ěrshùn, qīshí ér cóngxīnsuǒyù, bù yú jǔ.'

The Master said: "At fifteen I determined (set my will) to study; at thirty I was upright (independent); at forty [I had] no doubts; at fifty I knew I knew heaven's commands; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow the desires of the heart-mind without exceeding the rules."

志 zhì purpose, will, determination

立 lì stand; erect, raise; establish, found; fix, set; determine, decide; become indepdent

惑 huò confuse, mislead, baffle; doubt

命 mìng order, command; written command; will of heaven; fate; lifespan

順 shùn obey, submit, go along with

欲 yù desire, want, long for; intend

踰 yú exceed, transgress; cross over

矩 jǔ carpenter's square, ruler; rule

Translation - Analects 2.6 Meng Wubo asked about being filial.

孟武伯問孝。子曰：「父母唯其疾之憂。」

Mèng Wǔbó wèn xiào.  Zǐ yuē: "Fù mǔ wéi qí jí zhī yōu."

Meng Wubo asked about being filial. The Master said: "Parents, because of the sickness of their children, grieve.

Meng Wubo asked about being filial. The Master said: "Parents grieve when their children are ill."

Where Meng Wubo is asking for proscriptive advice about how to be filial, or philosophical insight into the nature of being filial, Confucius' response provides neither. Confucius' answer (if it can be called that) appears oblique at first, a non-answer to a straightforward question. But Confucius' answer actually provides a great deal of information. We should remember that Confucius challenges his students to use one side of the square to find the other three. Given this approach, we can find at least two implied proscriptions for filial behavior.

The primary implication is that children should do their utmost to avoid causing their parents worry or concern. Children (according to the Confucian program) should study the rites, pursue learning, and generally practice the skills necessary to stand upright in adult society.

The second implication is less direct. Because parents worry when their children are ill, it implies parents should do their utmost to ensure their children well-raised and cared for. This worry in the parents is the reciprocal part of the filial relationship: because parents care for their children, the children desire to care for their parents. The duty is not externally imposed by society onto the child; rather, the duty is a manifestation of the emotional relationship between parent and child.

This reciprocal relationship between parent and child plays an important role in the first implication; when parents engage their children and assist their children in learning, then children experience learning as a process of successfully interacting in the world along with their parents - as opposed to an externally imposed system with little relation to their own happiness. When learning occurs as a part of interacting in the world, this develops a love of learning and the joy of putting things into practice (as suggested by Analects 1.1).

As an aside, the kind of learning suggested here can be seen clearly in Dewey's model of education: where play and learning are relevant because the knowledge and guidance provides a means to direct interest towards an environment.

See the below on challenging the assumptions inherent in modern education (assumptions Dewey argued against in 1916's Democracy and Education).

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/05/11/603315432/the-best-mothers-day-gift-get-mom-out-of-the-box

Translation - Analects 2.5 Meng Yizi asked about being filial.

孟懿子問孝。子曰：「無違」樊遲御，子告之曰：「孟孫問孝於我，我對曰『無違』。」樊遲曰：「何謂也？」子曰：「生事之以禮；死葬之以禮，祭之以禮。」

Mèng Yìzǐ wèn xiào.  Zǐ yuē: "Wú wéi." Fán Chí yù, Zǐ Gào zhī yuē: "Mèng sūn wèn xiào yú wǒ, wǒ duì yuē "wú wéi." Fán Chí yuē: "Hé wèi yě?" Zǐ yuē: "Shēng shì zhī yǐ lǐ; sǐ zàng zhī yǐ lǐ, jì zhī yǐ lǐ."

Minimalist Translation
Meng Yizi asked about filiality. The Master said: "Do not be disobey." Fan Chi was driving, [and] the Master told him: "Meng-sun asked me about filiality. I told him do not disobey." Fan Chi said: "What [is the] meaning?" The Master said: "[In] life, serve them according to ritual. In death, bury them according to ritual. Worship them according to ritual."

Refined Translation
Meng Yizi asked about being filial. The Master said, "do not be disobedient." When Fan Chi was driving, the Master remarked, "Meng-sun asked me about being filial. I told him do not be disobedient." Fan Chi asked, "What do you mean?" The Master said, "In life, serve your parents according to the rites. In death, bury your parents according to the rites. Worship and make sacrifices to your parents according tzo the rites."

無違
Wú wéi = without disobedience = do not be disobedient. This is not to be confused with the 無為 wú wéi of Laozi and Zhuangzi.

生事之以禮；死葬之以禮，祭之以禮。
There are two points of ambiguity here: (1) what is the pronoun antecedent for "之," and (2) how to interpret 事: as a noun (the affairs of life) or as a verb (to serve)? The second question can be answered by looking at the parallel structure in the passages: 葬 (bury) and 祭 (inter) are both more commonly used as verbs. This suggests 事 should be treated as a verb. Answering (2) provides a framework for answering (1): if we are serving, then who are we serving? The passage does not mention the parents explicitly, but serving, burying, and worshipping are all actions taken towards the parents. Therefore, serve the parents, bury the parents, make sacrifices to the parents. This framework provides a basis for treating 生 and 死 as instances of time (when the events take place). Therefore, "In life, serve the parents according to the rites; in death, bury the parents according to the rites; worship them according to the rites."

Philosophically, Confucius' insistence on ritual as the guiding criteria for filial piety is an important stance in the context of the Zhou dynasty. Rather than framing filial piety in terms of obeying the dictates of the parents, Confucius frames filial piety in terms of obedience to the rites. In this sense the rites open the possibility of maintaining standards separate from the dictates of the parents. Obedience is not blind obedience, but rather for the sake of upholding the rites, which in turn serve to nurture benevolence and harmony in human society. This again speaks to Confucius' depth of insight: the rites can be examined, altered, or critiqued, and are never followed merely for their own sake. The plasticity of the rites allows the rites to function as conceptual intermediaries for human behavior. This mediation functions as regulation, and this regulation serves to integrate human needs with the physical and social environment.

孟 mèng - first; great; founder
懿 yì - virtuous, admirable, esteemed
違 wéi - disobey, violate, defy
樊 fán - railing, fence; enclosed area
遲 chí - late, tardy, slow; delay
御 yù - drive, ride; chariot; manage
葬 zàng - bury, inter
祭 jì - sacrifice to, worship

Translation - Analects of Confucius 2.3 Those who are filial and fraternal.

2.3: 子曰：「其為人也孝弟，而好犯上者，鮮矣；不好犯上，而好作亂者，未之有也。君子務本，本立而道生。孝弟也者，其為仁之本與！」

2.3: Zǐ yuē: 'Qí wéi rén yě xiàodì, ér hǎo fànshàng zhě, xiān yǐ; bù hǎo fànshàng, ér hǎo zuòluàn zhě, wèi zhī yǒu yě. Jūnzǐ wù běn, běnlì ér dàoshēng. Xiàodì yě zhě, qí wèi rénzhī běn yǔ!'

2.3: The Master says: Those who are filial and fraternal to others but who relish crime, they are few; Those who abhor crime but who enjoy chaos/rebellion, [they] have yet to appear. The sage seeks the root, establishing the root the way is born. Those who are filial and fraternal, these (for the sake of) benevolence are the root!

本立而道生 I think this is pretty clearly "establishing the root (and then) the way is born." From a an English language/analytic point of view there appears to be a potential abiguity or contradiction: is 道 the great Way or simply one Way among many? This ambiguity focuses on the potentially different meanings of 道 and uses them to drive a wedge between possible translations.

However, from a more Confucian point of view, the point is not whether or not 道 means the Way or many individual ways. The point is that in establishing the root of something (and that root being filiality and fraternality), this gives rise to benevolent behavior. The method of achieving harmony is the same whether or not the way is conceived of as being a collection of natural processes or individual development. Individual development mirrors or reflects the greater natural process. Both require that events in their delicate primacy receive care, this care results in emotional relationships (filiality and fraternality), and these emotional relationships are then responsible for extending benevolent behavior to others.

Translation - Analects of Confucius 2.2 There are 300 Odes.

子曰：「詩三百，一言以蔽之，曰『思無邪』。」 Zǐ yuē: Shī sān bǎi, yī yǎn yǐ bì zhī, yuē "sī wú xié."

The master said: There are three hundred Odes, but one sentence may cover them all: "Think not (what is) wicked!"

Notes: this is another good example for the central role of moral psychology in classical Chinese thought, and a particularly good example on the relationship between self-cultivation and understanding in the analects. Confucius never intends the rituals to be performed for their own sake [1]; Confucius, in fact, explicitly criticizes those who merely memorize official documents [2] or practice from rote memory without understanding the circumstances or who practice ritual without an eye toward benevolence [3]. In fact, benevolence in general is the goal for Confucius: this requires both understanding the rituals and the circumstances, but surpasses merely correctly applying ritual to circumstances. The application of ritual may be beneficial, but is by itself insufficient. 

In this sense, the Odes may provide guidelines for action, but they also help the sage engage in the kinds of emotional imagination and activity necessary for beginning to understand emotional interactions with others.

Confucius' instruction here particularly points to the concern with habit, and how our habits (rituals) create habitual modes of thinking. Again, Confucius' concern here is with cultivating the heart-mind. 

[1] don't be a vessel
[2] don't be merely an officious scribe
[3] the goal of the sage is benevolence

Academia - Alexus McLeod and Intellectual Diversity

https://unpolishedjade.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/why-be-concerned-with-intellectual-diversity-in-philosophy/#comment-1310 from Alexus McLeod

This is an important topic, and I appreciate your voice in this discussion. I certainly sympathize regarding the "wandering" approach to knowledge.

Discovery is not a linear process, and attempts to streamline intellectual exploration simply collapse into intellectual mechanization. Wandering requires uncertainty and an open-minded receptivity to the manifold of possibility. Wandering requires constantly integrating different perspectives to navigate complex circumstances. Understanding wandering is essential for life because life is always changing. We cannot cling to one fixed perspective (especially perspectives bent on unthinking self-reproduction) and hope to survive.