251
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Empathy as a virtue: a Confucian interpretation and a tool to address anti-Asian hate crime

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 162-180 | Received 02 Feb 2023, Accepted 13 Aug 2023, Published online: 20 Aug 2023

References

  • Agosta, L. (2010). Empathy in the context of philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Ames, R. T. (2011). Confucian role ethics. A vocabulary. The Chinese University Press.
  • Ames, R. T., & Rosemont, H. J. (1998). The Analects of Confucius: A philosophical translation. Ballantine Books.
  • Barrow, E. (2017). No global citizenship?: Re-envisioning global citizenship education in times of growing nationalism. The High School Journal, 100(3), 163–165. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2017.0005
  • Battaly, H. D. (2011). Is empathy a virtue? In A. Coplan & P. Goldie (Eds.), Empathy. Philosophical and psychological perspectives (pp. 277–301). Oxford University Press.
  • Bell, D. A., & Wang, P. (2020). Just hierarchy: Why social hierarchies matter in China and the rest of the world. Princeton University Press.
  • Benjamin, E. (2021). Trump, the coronavirus pandemic, Asian American xenophobia, and humanistic psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(2), 244–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167820979650
  • Berkovich, I. (2020). Conceptualisations of empathy in K-12 teaching: A review of empirical research. Educational Review, 72(5), 547–566. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1530196
  • Bloom, P. (2017). Empathy and its discontents. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.11.004
  • Bowden, B. (2003). The perils of global citizenship. Citizenship Studies, 7(3), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362102032000098913
  • Burbules, N. C. (1995). Reasonable doubt: Toward a postmodern defence of reason as an educational aim. In W. Kohli (Ed.), Critical conversations in philosophy of education (pp. 82–102). Routledge.
  • Cabanatuan, M. (2020). Coronavirus: Asian American groups compile hate crime reports as trump persists in ‘Chinese virus’ attacks. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Coronavirus-Asian-American-groups-compile-hate-15144295.php
  • Capatides, C. (2020, February 14). Bullies attack Asian American teen at school, accusing him of having coronavirus. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-bullies-attack-asian-teen-los-angeles-accusing-him-of-having-coronavirus/
  • Chan, S. Y. (2006). The Confucian notion of jing 敬 (respect). Philosophy East and West, 56(2), 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2006.0018
  • Chang, P. (2011). Confucian China and Jeffersonian America: Beyond liberal democracy. Asian Studies Review, 35(1), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2011.552100
  • Cheah, C. S. L., Horse, A. Y., & Gee, K. A. (2021, April 19). Are America’s schools safe for Asian Americans?. https://theconversation.com/are-americas-schools-safe-for-asian-americans-157956
  • Cheah, C. S. L., Wang, C., Ren, H., Zong, X., Cho, H. S., & Xue, X. (2020). Covid-19 racism and mental health in Chinese American families. Pediatrics, 146(5). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-021816
  • Choo, S. S. (2020). The cosmopolitan turn in literature education and its resulting tensions in Singapore schools. Critical Studies in Education, 61(4), 512–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2018.1531900
  • Cooper, B. (2004). Empathy, interaction and caring: Teachers’ roles in a constrained environment. Pastoral Care in Education, 22(3), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0264-3944.2004.00299.x
  • Coplan, A., & Goldie, P. (2011). Empathy: Philosophical and psychological perspectives. Oxford University Press.
  • Cua, A. S. (1992). Competence, concern, and the role of paradigmatic individuals (Chün-tzu) in moral education. Philosophy East and West, 42(1), 49–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/1399691
  • de Waal, F. (2009). The age of empathy. Three Rivers Press.
  • Dill, J. S. (2013). The longings and limits of global citizenship education: The moral pedagogy of schooling in a cosmopolitan age. Routledge.
  • Engel, L. C., Fundalinski, J., & Cannon, T. (2016). Educación para la Ciudadanía Global a nivel local: un análisis comparado de cuatro distritos urbanos estadounidenses. Revista Española de Educación Comparada, 0(28), 23–51. https://doi.org/10.5944/reec.28.2016.17095
  • Estévez, E., Jiménez, T. I., & Segura, L. (2019). Emotional intelligence and empathy in aggressors and victims of school violence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(3), 488–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000292
  • Gardner, D. K. (2007). The four books: The basic teachings of the later Confucian tradition. Hackett Publishing.
  • Goren, H., & Yemini, M. (2017). Global citizenship education redefined – a systematic review of empirical studies on global citizenship education. International Journal of Educational Research, 82, 170–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2017.02.004
  • Gover, A. R., Harper, S. B., & Langton, L. (2020). Anti-Asian hate crime during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the reproduction of inequality. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 647–667. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09545-1
  • Hahm, C. (2006). Confucianism and the concept of liberty. Asia Europe Journal, 4(4), 477–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-005-0003-9
  • Hanson, K. (2021, May 5). How teachers and schools are combatting anti-Asian hate. Today. https://www.today.com/parents/how-teachers-schools-are-combatting-anti-asian-hate-t216612
  • Haynes, S. (2020). As coronavirus spreads, so does xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. Time. Retrieved April 11, 2020, from https://time.com/5797836/coronavirus-racism-stereotypes-attacks/
  • Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. Cambridge University Press.
  • Horsthemke, K. (2015). Epistemic empathy in childrearing and education. Ethics & Education, 10(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2014.998025
  • Hswen, Y., Xu, X., Hing, A., Hawkins, J. B., Brownstein, J. S., & Gee, G. C. (2021). Association of “#covid19” versus “#chinesevirus” with anti-Asian sentiments on Twitter: March 9-12, 2020. American Journal of Public Health, 111(5), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306154
  • Hutton, E. ( Trans.). (2014). Xunzi: The complete text. Princeton University Press.
  • Ivanhoe, P. J. (1990). Ethics in the Confucian tradition. Hackett Publishing Co., Inc.
  • Ivanhoe, P. J. (2018). Selfishness and self-centeredness. Journal of Korean Religions, 9(2), 9–31. https://doi.org/10.1353/jkr.2018.0010
  • Kao, A. C. (2021). Invisibility of anti-Asian racism. AMA Journal of Ethics, 23(7), 507–511. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2021.507
  • Kogler, H. H., & Stueber, K. (Eds). (2000). Empathy and agency: The problem of understanding in the human sciences. Routledge.
  • Kunyk, D., & Olson, J. K. (2001). Clarification of conceptualisations of empathy. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 35(3), 317–325. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01848.x
  • Lau, D. C. (2000). Theories of human nature in Mencius and Xunzi. In T. C. Kline III & P. J. Ivanhoe (Eds.), Virtue, nature, and moral agency in the Xunzi (pp. 189–219). Hackett Publishing.
  • Lennon, R., Eisenberg, N., & Carroll, J. (1986). The relation between nonverbal indices of empathy and preschoolers’ prosocial behaviour. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 7(3), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(86)90030-4
  • Leung, Y.-H. (2018). Is the empathy-induced motivation to help egoistic or altruistic: Insights from the Neo-Confucian Cheng Hao. Philosophy East and West, 68(1), 140–160. https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2018.0007
  • Li, C. (1994). The Confucian concept of jen and the feminist ethics of care: A comparative study. Hypatia, 9(1), 70–89. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1994.tb00110.x
  • Low, K. C. P. (2012). Being empathetic, the way of Confucius. Educational Research, 3(11), 818–826.
  • Lu, X. (2020). Xunzi: Moral education and transformation. Asian Philosophy, 30(4), 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2020.1841951
  • Magrì, E. (2019). Empathy, respect, and vulnerability. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 27(2), 327–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559.2019.1587260
  • Maibom, H. L. (Ed.). (2014). Empathy and morality. Oxford University Press.
  • Matias, C. E., & Zembylas, M. (2014). ‘When saying you care is not really caring’: Emotions of disgust, whiteness ideology, and teacher education. Critical Studies in Education, 55(3), 319–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2014.922489
  • Mcallister, G., & Irvine, J. J. (2002). The role of empathy in teaching culturally diverse students: A qualitative study of teachers’ beliefs. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(5), 433–443. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248702237397
  • Nivison, D. S. (1996). The ways of Confucianism: Investigations in Chinese philosophy. Open Court.
  • NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crime. (n.d.). Stop Asian hate: Education resource guide. https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:a3a55b78-8dc8-4468-88c1-574374bc9086
  • Nylan, M., & Wilson, T. (2010). Lives of Confucius. Doubleday.
  • Peterson, G. R. (2017). Is my feeling your pain bad for others? Empathy as virtue versus empathy as fixed trait. Zygon, 52(1), 232–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12330
  • Prinz, J. (2011). Against empathy. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 49, 214–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-6962.2011.00069.x
  • Prinz, K. (2011). Is empathy necessary for morality? In A. Coplan & P. Goldie (Eds.), Empathy: Philosophical and psychological perspectives (pp. 211–229). Oxford University Press.
  • Reimers, F. M. (2009). Educating for global competency. In J. Cohen & M. Malin (Eds.), International perspectives on the goals of universal basic and secondary education (pp. 183–202). Routledge.
  • Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilisation: The race to global consciousness in a world of crisis. Penguin Books.
  • Risberg, E. J. (2022). Fostering empathy in global citizenship education: Necessary, desirable, or simply misguided? Educational Theory, 72(5), 553–573. https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12546
  • Ruiz, N. G., Horowitz, J. M., & Tamir, C. (2020, July 1). Many black and Asian Americans say they have experienced discrimination amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/07/01/many-black-and-asian-americans-say-they-have-experienced-discrimination-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/
  • Savage, G. C., Gerrard, J., Gale, T., & Molla, T. (2021). The politics of critical policy sociology: Mobilities, moorings and elite networks. Critical Studies in Education, 62(3), 306–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2021.1878467
  • Sawchuk, S., & Gewertz, C. (2021, March 25). Anti-Asian violence: What schools should start doing about it. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/anti-asian-violence-what-schools-should-start-doing-about-it/2021/03
  • Schertz, M. (2007). Avoiding ‘passive empathy’ with Philosophy for children. Journal of Moral Education, 36(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240701325308
  • Slingerland, E. ( Trans.). (2003). Confucius Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
  • Slote, M. (2010). The mandate of empathy. Dao, 9(3), 303–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-010-9170-5
  • Smith, M. (2023). Foreword: Empathy redux. In F. Mezzenzana & D. Peluso (Eds.), Conversations on empathy: Interdisciplinary perspectives on imagination and radical othering (pp. x–xviii). Routledge.
  • Stevens, M. (2020). How Asian-American leaders are grappling with xenophobia amid coronavirus. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/us/politics/coronavirus-asianamericans.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
  • Tan, C. (2013). Confucius. Bloomsbury.
  • Tan, C. (2017). A Confucian perspective of self-cultivation in learning: Its implications for self-directed learning. Journal of Adult & Continuing Education, 23(2), 250–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477971417721719
  • Tan, C. (2020a). Confucian philosophy for contemporary education. Routledge.
  • Tan, C. (2020b). An ethical foundation for global citizenship education: A neo-Confucian perspective. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 41(4), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2019.1683431
  • Tan, K.-C. (2017). Taming human nature? Reflections on Xunzi and Hobbes. Journal of East-West Thought, 17(4), 19–39.
  • Tessler, H., Choi, M., & Kao, G. (2020). The anxiety of being Asian American: Hate crimes and negative biases during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 636–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09541-5
  • Tu, W.-M. (1985). Confucian thought: Selfhood as creative transformation. State University of New York.
  • UNESCO. (2015). Global citizenship education: Topics and learning objectives. Author.
  • Vaage, M. B. (2023). Should we be against empathy? Engagement with antiheroes in fiction and the theoretical implications for empathy’s role in morality. In F. Mezzenzana & D. Peluso (Eds.), Conversations on empathy: Interdisciplinary perspectives on imagination and radical othering (pp. 116–134). Routledge.
  • Van Ryzin, M. J., & Roseth, C. J. (2022). The longitudinal relationship between peer relations and empathy and their joint contribution to reducing bullying in middle school: Findings from a randomised trial of cooperative learning. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 3(2), 147–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770221094032
  • Wang, C., & Hoffman, D. M. (2016). Are WE the world? A critical reflection on selfhood and global citizenship education. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24(56), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.24.2152
  • Wanner, C., & Pavlenko, V. (2023). Cultivating an empathic impulse in wartime Ukraine. In F. Mezzenzana & D. Peluso (Eds.), Conversations on empathy: Interdisciplinary perspectives on imagination and radical othering (pp. 134–153). Routledge.
  • Wong, W.-Y. (2012). Ren, empathy and the agent-relative approach in Confucian ethics. Asian Philosophy, 22(2), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2012.692537
  • Zahavi, D. (2012). Empathy and mirroring: Husserl and Gallese. In R. Breeur & U. Melle (Eds.), Life, subjectivity & art. Essays in honour of Rudolf Bernet Springer (pp. 217–254). Springer.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.