Why Observing Li Is Not the Instrument to Attain Ren : On the Relation Between Ren and Li in the Analects

Abstract

Abstract: Many scholars generally believe that Confucius thinks the observance of li to be instrumental in attaining ren . In this essay, it is argued that observing li is not the instrument for attaining ren in the Analects . If we endorse the instrumentalist's interpretation of li for attaining ren , four contradictions would be followed in the Analects . Besides, there is no clear and solid textual evidence for the instrumentalist's interpretation of li . By reinterpreting passage 12.1, where Confucius said "ke ji fu li wei ren" 克己復禮為仁, it is argued that scholars are wrong to refer to it as a support for the instrumentalist's interpretation. In the Analects , Confucius presents a self-cultivation way to attain ren without relying on the observance of li .