Academic Discourse of Chinese Philosophy and 21st Century China Studies—The Case of Confucian Views on War of Revenge

Abstract

: Concomitant to the rise of China is an increasing interest in Chinese philosophy. Some scholars have focused on Confucian views on international order and war to interpret or predict Chinese foreign policies. Regarding Chinese military culture, due attention has been paid to Confucian just war theory. However, the topic of retributive war remains little studied. A few works have been published on this topic. They tend to concentrate on exceptional and controversial cases, arguing that Confucianism zealously advocates war of revenge. This paper argues that although Confucianism approves blood vengeance, it does not approve of war as a means of revenge. The attribution of extreme punishment theory of just cause to Confucianism without adequate evidence might alert us of the changing roles of Chinese philosophy in the intellectual and political arenas today.