From Virtue to Duty: Xunzi’s <i>Gong-Yi</i> 公義 and the Institutionalization of Public Obligation in Early Confucianism
This paper challenges the conventional view that pre-Qin Confucianism represents kingly virtue politics that lacks institutional duty. By interpreting Xunzi’s notion of <i>yi</i> 義, particularly <i>gong-yi</i> 公義, as a form of public obligation, I show that Xunzi exposes <...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/268 |
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| Summary: | This paper challenges the conventional view that pre-Qin Confucianism represents kingly virtue politics that lacks institutional duty. By interpreting Xunzi’s notion of <i>yi</i> 義, particularly <i>gong-yi</i> 公義, as a form of public obligation, I show that Xunzi exposes <i>yi</i> to state institutions to oblige people to serve public ends. While institutional duty is often associated with post-Enlightenment political philosophy, this paper argues that Xunzi’s philosophy offers a comparable framework of public–private exchange. Xunzi’s <i>gong-yi</i> may be a public-servicing sense of duty that combines moral and civic dimensions, compelling individuals to cooperate for the collective good. Unlike social contract theories that trade private rights with public duties, Xunzi’s system relies on moral compulsion and normative reciprocity. This system posits a sensible exchange between individual duties from inner compulsion for the public good. By contrasting <i>gong</i> 公 (the public) with <i>si</i> 私 (the private), Xunzi envisions the public as an entity that is serviced through public duties and a place for human flourishing. Positioning the role of <i>gong-yi</i> in Xunzi’s broader institutional project crystalizes this nascent concept of a “public” and its relationships with civic duties. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |