Ritual reconstruction： the possibility of a new confucian theory for contemporary bioethics
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.01.01
- VernacularTitle:礼义重构：儒家生命伦理学新理论的可能性
- Author:
Ruiping FAN
1
Author Information
1. City University of Hong Kong，Hongkong 999077，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Confucian classical ethics;
bioethics;
ritual reconstruction;
principlism;
pluralistic casuistry
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(1):1-11
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Contemporary bioethics （including medical ethics） encompasses three distinctly different theories： principlism， pluralistic casuistry， and ritual reconstruction. They differ in many respects， but the primary distinction lies in their respective starting points for ethical thinking： principlism begins with principles， pluralistic casuistry starts with cases， while ritual reconstruction is grounded in rituals. In fact， the first two theories have gained popularity worldwide， while the third theory requires us to construct it based on Confucian classical ethics. This paper explores how the characteristics of ritual guidance and the doctrine of the mean in Confucian classical ethics inspire us to propose this new theory， outlining its main points.
