儒敎的 생명관의 道德敎育的 含意

Abstract

Compared to those in the past, contemporary people enjoy a materially abundant life through a highly advanced industrialization process. However, as they do not know how to love themselves truthfully, if they lose in competition they suffer heavy stress from the sense of inferiority, and in worse cases, fall into depression or commit suicide. What is more, they only take care of their body and are indifferent to others’ difficulties, and consequently they seek their own satisfaction even at the cost of others’ life. On the other hand, out of excessive desire burning with selfishness, people regard nature merely as a means of satisfying their desire and race for maximizing development and production. As a result, resources are being exhausted, the environment is being destroyed, and mankind is faced with environmental pollution such as air pollution and water pollution as well as the crisis of ecosystem. What is necessary in the current situation is the idea that man and nature are one interconnected life and nature is the source of life and thus should be protected from destruction, respected, and revived. In the Confucian view of life, a person should admit the given situation positively and lead an active life and for this he should strengthen his will to respect lives. Accordingly, the Confucian view of life abstains from behaviors slighting lives like self‐abandonment and suicide. With the establishment of the consciousness of self‐respect, his inherent nature and homogeneity are restored. Along with the build‐up of the consciousness of self‐respect, naturally he comes to have the mind of respecting others and the mind leads him to be filled with respect for all lives and to become one with all creations. For the same disease, different treatment methods should be considered according to the patient’s constitution and situation. In existing moral education, however, moral lessons on life have suggested solutions based solely on the Western view of life. As a result, the views of life in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have been isolated from moral education. In this sense, the present study suggested an alternative of education on bioethics found in Confucianism under the title “The Implications of the Confucian View of Life for Moral Education.”