Humanizm konfucjański. Zarys problematyki
Confucian Humanism: An Outline

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents several principal elements of humanism as seen in the light of Confu- cian philosophy. The author refers to Confucius’s Analects and to two other leading propo- nents of Confucianism – Mencius and Xunzi, as well as to contemporary relevant literature. The text first focuses on the understanding of human nature that has been assessed differ- ently – as good or bad but always subject to the process of self-cultivation. Only the man that deserves the name of a gentleman (junzi) reaches full personhood. Man as a person is perceived not so much in terms of rationality and self-consciousness but rather as a human being with high moral faculties – fully developed humaneness (benevolence), righteous- ness and a strong moral will. In the Confucian humanist vision man is a naturally social being that is never separated from society and the whole reality, particularly embedded in and formed by the family. Due to the absence of a creation myth Confucianism is regarded as a secular concept of human life though not totally deprived of a transcendent dimension however specifically comprehended.

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