{"id":10012,"date":"2024-03-24T09:46:26","date_gmt":"2024-03-24T08:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/?p=10012"},"modified":"2025-10-17T11:26:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:26:19","slug":"no-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/no-kindness\/","title":{"rendered":"ATC There is no such thing as kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Fact-Based Refutation<\/span><\/h2>\n

Unkindness<\/span>
\n<\/em><\/strong>D\u00eang Hsi Tse (c.546-501 BCE)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Heaven is not kind to man, the ruler is not kind to his people, the father to his son, the elder to the younger brother. <\/strong>Why do I say so? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Because Heaven cannot remove disastrous epidemics, nor keep those alive who are cut off in their prime, nor always grant a long life to good people. That is unkindness to the people.
\nWhenever people break holes through walls, and rob or deceive others, and lead them astray, want is at the root of all these offences, and poverty their main spring. Albeit; yet the ruler takes the law, and punishes the culprits. That is unkindness to the people.
\nYao and Shun swayed the Empire, whereas Tan Chu and Shang Ch\u00fcn\u00a0continued simple citizens. That is unkindness to sons.
\nThe duke of Chou put Kuan and Ts’ai to death, that is unkindness to younger brothers. <\/strong><\/p>\n

From these examples, which may be multiplied, we see that there is no such thing as kindness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

D\u00eang Hsi Tse\u00a0 1 \u2014 Unkindness \u2014 <\/em><\/a>Chinese Texts in English <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Deng Xi<\/b> = D\u00eang Hsi =<\/strong> T\u00eang Hsi<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n

Preliminary:\u00a0 What meaning should we give to (un)kindness<\/em>?<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the current formula, kind<\/em> is a mere softener in a request to do a small favour for the speaker:
\n\u201cWould you be so kind as to\u2026<\/em>\u201d. \u00ab\u00a0That’s not kind!<\/em>\u201d is a reproach to a child who is behaving badly, or, more generally, to someone who has done something slightly wrong. This meaning is not productive in the context we are considering.
\nGenerosity<\/em> is one of the first synonyms for kindness. <\/em>In Descartes’ analysis of passions and virtues, generosity is defined by\u00a0 self-respect and free will, which regulate the attitude towards oneself and others. We take kindness in this cartesian sense, as a cardinal moral virtue implying consideration and care for oneself and others.
\nWe will take (un)kindness with this general meaning, who possibly reminds Confucius’ dao, as characterized in the Analects<\/em>, 4.15:<\/p>\n

The Master said, \u201cShen, a single thread runs through my dao.\u201d<\/span>
\nMaster Zeng said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/span>
\nThe Master went out, and the other disciples asked, \u201cWhat did he mean?\u201d<\/span>
\nMaster Zeng said, \u201cThe Master\u2019s dao is nothing other than loyalty and reciprocity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seen as a moral imperative, kindness is not refuted by the fact that, volens nolens, everyone can be unkind once in their life. It only shows that virtue is difficult.
\nIf Kindness is seen as the organising moral virtue, the text refers broadly to human moral nature. But is there such a thing? Chinese philosophers argue extensively on this point.<\/p>\n

Unkindness in the four basic relationships <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kindness is a relational virtue. In this passage, Deng Hsi considers four cases, four\u00a0 kinds of relationships (<\/em>Heaven to people \u2014 <\/em><\/span>Ruler to people \u2014 <\/em><\/span>Father to son \u2014 <\/em><\/span>Brother to younger brother)<\/em>, and considers them one by one.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The classical Confucian set of \u00ab\u00a0five fundamental relationships\u201d groups together the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, elder brother and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend,<\/strong><\/em> that is social relations and and family relations. [1]\nDeng Hsi’s list adds to this classical set the relationship between Heaven and man; Heaven rules the universe, and therefore human destiny. The \u201cfundamental relationships\u201d are five, but they are of the same nature: they are derived adaptations of the Ruler-Subject relationship. The corresponding society is sex segregated, male-dominated, patriarchal and despotic,<\/p>\n

DengHsi’s refutation step by step destroys the idea of is kindness as a cosmological virtue, making all the more radical his critique of kindness as ruling interhuman social and family life.<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>Heaven<\/strong> <\/em>cannot remove disastrous epidemics, nor keep those alive who are cut off in their prime, nor always grant a long life to good people. That is unkindness to the people.<\/em>
\n<\/strong>The refutation is based on prototypical examples of the human condition<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/em>2. Ruler <\/strong>\u2014 Whenever people break holes through walls, and rob or deceive others, and lead them astray, want is at the root of all these offences, and poverty their main spring.<\/strong><\/em>
\nPunishment may be justified,\u00a0 but robbery is fully justified by poverty, and punish poverty is a systemic unjustice. Deng Hsi doesn’t base his refutation on the fact that judges can misjudge, or be corrupt. Social unkindness takes precedence over human unkindness.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Sons \u2014 Yao and Shun swayed the Empire, whereas Tan Chu and Shang Ch\u00fcn continued simple citizens.<\/em>
\n<\/strong>According to Chinese mythology<\/a> and traditional Chinese historiography<\/a>, Yao and Shun<\/em> are the last of the legendary emperors.
\nYao disinherited his son Tan Chu [Danzhu], and entrusted the empire to Shun.
\nShun dishinherited his son Chang Chun [Shangju], and entrusted the empire to Yu the Great<\/a>, the founder of the Xia dynasty<\/p>\n

Yao and Shun<\/a> are mentioned in the Book of documents<\/a>.[Shujing<\/em>]. Arguments based on data from the Shujing<\/em> are indisputable. As such, Yao and Shun they serve as models for their infallible capacity to make the right decision in all circumstances, both politically and morally.
\nIn this case, their decision not to leave the kingdom to their respective sons and legitimate heirs is justified by the ineptitude of their heirs. But these legitimate heirs are no less prejudiced by the raison d’\u00e9tat.
\nThe fact that the best kings commit \u201cjustified unkindness\u201d while remaining model kings makes the argument a fortiori unndisputable.
\nIt is also possible to consider that model kings are role models in politics, but none the less unkind. In that case, the question they had to decide should be considered as paradoxical.<\/p>\n

4. Brothers \u2014 The Duke of Chou put Kuan and Ts’ai to death
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Duke of Zhou (Chou) is the founder of the Zhou dynasty, regent king of Zhou for his young brother. His brothers Kuan [Guanshu Xian]\u00a0 and\u00a0 Ts’ai [Caishu Du] rebelled\u00a0 against him, and the double fratricide, direct and indirect,\u00a0 was the conclusion of\u00a0 \u201cThe three Guards rebellion<\/a>\u201d (c. 1042-1039 BCE).\u00a0 The whole drama is told by R. Eno here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On a par with Yao and Shun, who preceded him by a millennium, the Duke of Zhou is a traditional Chinese model, for the role he played in establishing of the Zhou dynasty.
\nThe argument is similar to the previous one.<\/p>\n

The four sources capable to be kind are actually severely unkind, hence the\u00a0 conclusion that, factually, there is nothing like \u201csystemic kindness\u201d under Heaven.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing like kindness\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Qualifying the facts<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

The legal qualification of a fact is the process by which jurists attach the legal name and the corresponding legal category to a\u00a0 fact that they have to judge.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the same lines, Deng Hsi characterises facts facts he considers to be a case of unkindness. These facts can be considered as systemic, they imply the whole organization of the society, and not just one of its isolated component. These systemic facts are:
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Plagues, mortality
\n\u2014 Punishment of the all thieves, even they are poor.\u00a0 <\/span>
\n\u2014 The rule of succession to the throne, and choice of one person, necessarily to the prejudice of others. This is the condition for any choice. <\/span>
\n\u2014 Punishment of the leaders of a rebellion, even if they are the brothers of the sovereign.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

All these very different cases are \u00ab\u00a0unkindnesses\u201d. The unkindness does not lie in the specificity<\/span> of the events considered, but in their systemic aspect, for example in the fact that the father has the possibility of disinheriting their son, and this possibility is unkind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Composing the arguments : the global claim<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Taken together, the four arguments culminate in the claim that \u201cthere is no such thing as kindness<\/em>\u201d. Let’s consider three possible interpretations of this claim.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Refuting of the universal claim that \u00ab\u00a0[The world] is kind\u201d
\n<\/strong>Deng Hsi’s argument can be seen as the refutation of an implicit factual assertion, \u201cHeaven and People are kind to each another<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0Such a claim is grossly false, as is \u201cHeaven and People are unkind to each another<\/em>\u201d, i. e. \u00ab\u00a0people and Heaven are wolves to people<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Refuting a prejudice: \u201c[The world] is generally kind\u201d<\/strong>
\nThe refuted claim is better considered as a popular belief, \u201cHeaven and People can be \/are generally kind<\/em>\u201d. Such a belief underlies appeals to pity, prayers and sacrifices. However, the full expression of this belief includes a realistic counterpart, \u00ab\u00a0But they don’t have to be<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Destruction of the very concept of kindness; \u201cThere is nothing like kindness\u201d<\/strong>
\nThe concept of kindness is fallacious. It follows that it cannot be used in a philosophical system, let alone as one of its fundamental concepts.<\/p>\n

_______________
\n[1] Keith N. KNAPP, 2009. Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues<\/em> S\u0101ng\u0101ng W\u016dch\u00e1ng \u4e09 \u7eb2 \u4e94 \u5e38 . In Linsung Chen, Berkshire Encyclopedia of China<\/em>.<\/span>
\nhttps:\/\/chinaconnectu.com\/wp-content\/pdf\/ThreeFundamentalBondsandFiveConstantVirtues.pdf<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Fact-Based Refutation Unkindness D\u00eang Hsi Tse (c.546-501 BCE) 1. Heaven is not kind to man, the ruler is not kind to his people, the father to his son, the elder to the younger brother. Why do I say so? Because Heaven cannot remove disastrous epidemics, nor keep those alive who are cut off in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-atc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10012"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13142,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10012\/revisions\/13142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icar.cnrs.fr\/dicoplantin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}