The Philosophical Thought of Confucius and Mencius, and the Concept of the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind

Uzma Khan, Huili Wang (), Zhongliang Cui, Abida Begum, Abdullah Mohamed and Heesup Han ()
Additional contact information
Uzma Khan: Department of Philosophy, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Huili Wang: Department of Philosophy, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Zhongliang Cui: Institute of Contemporary Chinese Marxism, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Abida Begum: School of Marxism, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Abdullah Mohamed: Research Centre, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Heesup Han: College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, 98 Gunja-Dong, Gwanjin-Gu, Seoul 143-747, Korea

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: The Community of a Shared Future for Mankind seeks to mitigate the world’s current challenges, and to create a more sustainable future through better global governance. Some of the philosophical arguments of the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, and its foundations, which this article traces, are grounded in the philosophical teachings of Confucius and Mencius. The five pillars of Confucianism are benevolence (Ren), righteousness (Yi), propriety (Li), wisdom (Zhi) and fidelity (Xin). The five pillars have their equivalents in the philosophy of the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind: benevolence has its equivalents in multilateral and bilateral agreements; righteousness shows justice; propriety’s equivalents are international standards and regulations; wisdom is the problem-solving dialogues; and trustworthiness is equated to international organizations that safeguard global integrity. The Confucian principle of harmony is congruent with the objective of the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, of creating a world of harmony, peace and cooperation. The Golden Rule has been observed in the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind, through its insistence on reciprocal bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Mencius’ philosophical contribution to the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind is in his theory of human nature, where humaneness is seen as developmental—as would be the community built by the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind. Mencius’ principle of governance is congruent with the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind’s insistence on responsible governance. These congruences and similarities, between the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind and the philosophies of Confucius and Mencius, point to the foundations for the Community of a Shared Future for Mankind.

Keywords: social sustainability; sustainable development; Confucius; Mencius; Community of a Shared Future for Mankind; harmony in diversity; ethics of governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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