Confucius is said to have articulated an early version of the Golden Rule, in its inverse: "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you." His ethics stressed "righteousness" (described as ethical best practices for each context, enhancing the greater good based upon reciprocity, as contrasted with self-interest) and "benevolence" based upon empathy and harmony, cultivating an identification of the interests of the self and others. He downplayed the rule of law, because he said that people would try to avoid punishment but have no shame. Within Confucian thought, "He who has no shame" has come to be considered the lowest sort of person. Confucius exposed thereby what was at the heart of sociopathy. He argued for honesty in facial expression (notably lacking in sociopaths).
He emphasized the need to respect ones superiors in the government or at home, but said that it also demanded advising the superior when he was thought to be taking a mistaken course of action. While advocating a hierarchy of "ethical sages," Confucius recognized failures in this regard, saying "A corrupt government official is to be feared more than a tiger." Corruption of government officials has been considered one of the worst sins under Confucian thought. Thus we see the ferocity with which exposed corrupt officials are punished in China, even though the Communist Party considered Confucianism reactionary and feudalistic and banned its observance for many years.
Righteous poverty was to be preferred to riches and honors acquired by dishonest means.
I note that the stability of the hierarchical "natural order" he advocated may deter sociopathic individuals, who lack the patience to deal with it and are quickly exposed.
Compared with Buddhism and other Oriental philosophies/religions, Confucianism is less mystical and more practical in its orientation toward developing a government and society favorable to the majority of honest, hard-working citizens. By contrast, Buddhism teaches that "Everyone has Buddha-nature," thus disavowing the presence of people who differ organically in their ability to feel empathy. Of course, one could construe "Buddha-nature" more loosely and claim that tigers, for example, also have it. Buddhism, fortunately, brings us the helpful concept of "thusness," promoting the acceptance of the fact that the tiger will kill and the sociopath will cheat, because that is their nature. Buddhism sidesteps the problem of sociopathy somewhat by advocating withdrawal from the material world, the existence of which in all its terror serves a useful reminder that Buddhism offers a choice far preferable to people with normal sensibilities. There is nothing in an austere Buddhist monastery that would attract a sociopath, but outside of that, there have been notable cases of sociopathic penetration in Buddhism, and the same can be said of Japan's other major religion, Shinto.
In my next article, I will describe a few cases of probable sociopathic individuals and ponerogenic associations I have observed in Japan and factors that either impeded or abetted them.
*A primary ponerogenic association is one that is clearly corrupt from the outset, like a gang; while a secondary one starts off with good intentions but becomes infiltrated by people who use the good reputation and image as a cover for deceitful activity. Next Page 1 | 2
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The author has lived 38 years in Japan. She has also spent time in Siberia, where she led ecotours for Friends of the Earth Japan. She is fluent in Japanese and Russian, and also speaks Indonesian, Thai and Spanish. She loves nature and is an (more...)
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