THE JUNZI AS THE CONFUCIAN TRUSTWORTHY GUARDIAN: THE ULTIMATE AIM OF SELF-CULTIVATION XIUSHEN修身IN THE FOUR BOOKS
Artykuł naukowy w czasopiśmie recenzowanyCzasopismo: Roczniki Humanistyczne (ISSN: 0035-7707)
Rok wydania: 2025
Strony od-do: 41-55
Streszczenie: Abstract. This paper explores the Confucian notions of self-cultivation (xiushen修身) and the exem-plary person (junzi君子), as presented in the Four Books, through the lens of Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s concept of the trustworthy guardian. Kotarbiński’s ideal emphasizes a responsible, morally grounded individual who supports and protects others, often within an asymmetrical master–student relationship. The first part of the paper analyzes the process of Confucian self-cultivation and the ethical character of the junzi as someone who earns this title by cultivating altruistic (ren 仁) relations and embodying a relational ethos. The final section argues that the junzi, as a role model and moral carer motivated by selfless concern for others, aligns closely with Kotarbiński’s notion, and may be understood as a distinctly Confucian version of the trustworthy guardian. This interdisciplinary comparison reveals a shared human vocabulary of virtue grounded in responsibility, emotional attunement, and ethical care.
Słowa kluczowe: unzi君子; xiushen修身; ren仁; Confucian ethics; trustworthy guardian; Tadeusz Kotarbiński; ethos; self-cultivation; Four Books
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rh25739.3
Cytowanie w formacie Bibtex:
@article{1,
author = "Katarzyna Pejda",
title = "THE JUNZI AS THE CONFUCIAN TRUSTWORTHY GUARDIAN: THE ULTIMATE AIM OF SELF-CULTIVATION XIUSHEN修身IN THE FOUR BOOKS",
journal = "Roczniki Humanistyczne",
year = "2025",
pages = "41-55"
}
Cytowanie w formacie APA:
Pejda, K. (2025). THE JUNZI AS THE CONFUCIAN TRUSTWORTHY GUARDIAN: THE ULTIMATE AIM OF SELF-CULTIVATION XIUSHEN修身IN THE FOUR BOOKS. Roczniki Humanistyczne, 41-55.
