On the Theory and Practical Significance of Ecological Confucianism

Abstract

This paper systematically explores the theoretical connotations, developmental trajectory, and significance of ecological Confucianism for advancing Confucian philosophical research. As a new dimension of Confucian studies, it originated from the pioneering work of scholars both in China and abroad during the 1980s and 1990s, and has gradually been deepened alongside the evolution of discourse in Chinese society from environmental ethics to ecological civilization. This paper examines the ecological cognition and practical propositions of Confucianism toward nature (animals, plants, land, and mountains and rivers) from three perspectives: religious, moral, and political-legal. It proposes that Confucian ecological philosophy possesses a conceptual system centered on qi (气, natural energy), tong (通, interconnection), he (和, harmony), sheng (生, life/generation), and ren (仁, benevolence), and constructs a basic framework encompassing ecological ontology, ecological cultivation theory ( gongfu lun , 功夫论), and ecological realm theory ( jingjie lun , 境界论). The research indicates that ecological Confucianism not only expands the scope of Confucian historical materials (such as ecological thought in the Five Classics and historical records) but also reconstructs the relational model between humans and nature through ecological interpretation of “the unity of Heaven and humanity” ( tianren heyi , 天人合一), promoting the reconstruction of the “moral subject” ( dexing zhuti , 德性主体) and the formation of an organic view of nature. Ecological Confucianism provides non-Western-centric dialogue resources for global ecological philosophy while opening new pathways for the contemporary transformation of Confucianism itself, bearing significant importance for theoretical innovation and inter-civilizational learning.