Compassion and Moral Guidance (Monographs of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy)

Compassion is a word we use frequently but rarely precisely. One reason we lack a philosophically precise understanding of compassion is that moral philosophers today give it virtually no attention. Indeed, in the predominant ethical traditions of the West (deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics), compassion tends to be either passed over without remark or explicitly dismissed as irrelevant. And yet in the predominant ethical traditions of Asia, compassion is centrally important: All else revolves around it. This is clearly the case in Buddhist ethics, and compassion plays a similarly indispensable role in Confucian and Daoist ethics. In __Compassion and Moral Guidance,__ Steve Bein seeks to explain why compassion plays such a substantial role in the moral philosophies of East Asia and an insignificant one in those of Europe and the West. The book opens with detailed surveys of compassion’s position in the philosophical works of both traditions. The surveys culminate in an analysis of the conceptions of self and why the differences between these conceptions serve either to celebrate or marginalize the importance of compassion. Bein moves on to develop a model for the ethics of compassion, including a chapter on applied ethics seen from the perspective of the ethics of compassion. The result is a new approach to ethics, one that addresses the Rawlsian and Kantian concern for fairness, the utilitarian concern for satisfactory consequences, and the concern in care ethics for the proper treatment of marginalized groups. Bein argues that compassion’s capacity to address all of these makes it a primary tool for ethical decision-making. Compassion is a word we use frequently but rarely precisely. One reason we lack a philosophically precise understanding of compassion is that moral philosophers today give it virtually no attention. Indeed, in the predominant ethical traditions of the West (deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics), compassion tends to be either passed over without remark or explicitly dismissed as irrelevant. And yet in the predominant ethical traditions of Asia, compassion is centrally important: All else revolves around it. This is clearly the case in Buddhist ethics, and compassion plays a similarly indispensable role in Confucian and Daoist ethics.InCompassion and Moral Guidance,Steve Bein seeks to explain why compassion plays such a substantial role in the moral philosophies of East Asia and an insignificant one in those of Europe and the West. The book opens with detailed surveys of compassion's position in the philosophical works of both traditions. The surveys culminate in an analysis of the conceptions of self and why the differences between these conceptions serve either to celebrate or marginalize the importance of compassion.Bein moves on to develop a model for the ethics of compassion, including a chapter on applied ethics seen from the perspective of the ethics of compassion. The result is a new approach to ethics, one that addresses the Rawlsian and Kantian concern for fairness, the utilitarian concern for satisfactory consequences, and the concern in care ethics for the proper treatment of marginalized groups. Bein argues that compassion's capacity to address all of these makes it a primary tool for ethical decision-making.3 illus

Determined to be a U.S. Marine Corps officer, Bruce Yamashita enrolled in Officer Candidate School, where he was the target of persistent racial harassment by officers and staff. After enduring nine weeks of emotional and physical abuse, Yamashita was "disenrolled" in April 1989 - kicked out of the Marine Corps because of the color of his skin. Fighting Tradition is Yamashita's own story of his courageous struggle to expose a pattern of racial discrimination against minorities that has existed at various levels of the Corps.

With the support of a broad coalition of community and civil rights organizations, the Hawaii-born law school graduate fought a five-year-long legal, political, and media battle against the military establishment that ended in his commissioning as a captain and the revision of Marine Corps policies and procedures. Fighting Tradition not only is a moving story of personal sacrifice and vision, but contributes also both directly and indirectly to our understanding of the complexities of institutional racism in a politically conservative, demographically shifting society. It is a unique window into the dynamics of race, government, and the law and a stirring reminder of the importance of political mobilization by the individual to achieve justice.

Compassion Is A Word We Use Frequently But Rarely Precisely. One Reason We Lack A Philosophically Precise Understanding Of Compassion Is That Moral Philosophers Today Give It Virtually No Attention. Indeed, In The Predominant Ethical Traditions Of The West (deontology, Consequentialism, Virtue Ethics), Compassion Tends To Be Either Passed Over Without Remark Or Explicitly Dismissed As Irrelevant. And Yet In The Predominant Ethical Traditions Of Asia, Compassion Is Centrally Important: All Else Revolves Around It. This Is Clearly The Case In Buddhist Ethics, And Compassion Plays A Similarly Indispensable Role In Confucian And Daoist Ethics. What Is Compassion, And What Is It Not? -- What Is The Com- Of Compassion? -- Defining Compassion -- Objections To An Ethic Of Compassion -- Compassion In Action. Steve Bein. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 207-217) And Index. Compassion is a word we use frequently - but rarely precisely. One reason we lack a philosophically precise understanding of compassion is that moral philosophers give it virtually no attention. Indeed, in the predominant ethical traditions of the West (deontology, consequentialism, virtue ethics), compassion tends to be either passed over without remark or explicitly dismissed as irrelevant. And yet in the predominant ethical traditions of Asia, compassion is centrally important: All else revolves around it. This is clearly the case in Buddhist ethics, and compassion plays a similarly indispensable role in Confucian and Daoist ethics. In this book, the author seeks to explain why compassion plays such a substantial role in the moral philosophies of East Asia and an insignificant one in those of Europe and the West Cover 1 Contents 8 Abbreviations of Works Cited 10 Introduction 12 Chapter 1 What Is Compassion, and What Is It Not? 20 Chapter 2 What Is the Com- of Compassion? 69 Chapter 3 Defining Compassion 106 Chapter 4 Objections to an Ethic of Compassion 151 Chapter 5 Compassion in Action 170 Notes 202 Literature Cited 226 Index 238 About the Author 242 Back Cover 248