The Classical Confucian Position on the Legitimate Use of Military Force
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14760423 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sumner B Twiss (0000-0001-6359-5062, Hong Kong Baptist University, corresponding author), Jonathan Chan (0000-0002-5914-8443, Florida State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 447-472 |
| Publication date | 2012-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religious Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0384-9694 • E-ISSN: 1467-9795 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9795.2012.00531.x |
| OpenAlex | W1540130957 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 10 |
Focusing on the thought of Mencius and Xunzi, this essay reconstructs and examines the classical Confucian position on the legitimate use of military force. It begins by sketching historically important political concepts, such as types of political leaders, politics of the kingly way versus politics of the hegemonic way, and the controversial role of lords‐protector. It then moves on to explore Confucian criteria for justifying resort to the use of force, giving special attention to undertaking punitive expeditions to interdict and punish aggression and tyranny. Following this discussion, the essay then attends to important Confucian moral constraints on how military force is properly employed, including prohibitions on attacking the defenseless, indiscriminate slaughter of enemy forces, destruction of civilian infrastructure, prisoner abuse, and non‐consensual annexation of territory. The essay concludes by first discussing an illustrative case from Mencius and then comparing its reconstruction of the Confucian position to those offered by other scholars
Adversary · Annexation · Computer security · Criminology · Hegemony · International law · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Punitive damages · Sociology · Use of force · Chinese history and philosophy · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Law
The Violence of the Benevolent Ruler
Just War and Legal Restraints
Xunzi's Moral Analysis of War and Some of Its Contemporary Implications
Xunzi’s Political Philosophy
Opposing Bonsais
Public war and the requirement of legitimate authority
Theorizing Confucian Virtue Politics
Swiss Enchantment
In the Shadow of the Decay. The Philosophy of History of Mencius and Xunzi
A Tale of Two Utopias
Chinese perspectives on the ad bellum / in bello relationship and a cultural critique of the ad bellum / in bello separation in international humanitarian law
Weapons Are Nothing but Ominous Instruments
The Art of War Corpus and Chinese Just War Ethics Past and Present
Confucian Humanitarian Intervention? Toward Democratic Theory
Making peace with the barbarians
| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,07 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2023 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |