Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-16T05:53:10.647Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Confucian Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism in Korea: The Significance of Filial Piety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2016

Seok-Choon Lew ,
Woo-Young Choi  and
Hye Suk Wang
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Confucianism has been considered mainly to have had a negative influence on capitalistic development since Max Weber's theory on non-Western societies became widespread. However, in this article, we champion the positive role of Confucianism and attempt to explain Confucianism as providing fundamental “significance” to social development by imbuing it with religious significance. We present the self-sacrificing work ethic and zeal for education that characterizes Confucianism as having become the foundation for Korea's economic growth. In particular, we examine the religious significance inherent in the Confucian value of “filial piety” and illustrate how the value came to be a powerful economic motivator during the process of industrialization. The religious tendency of filial piety, which attempts to “remember” and “represent” one's ancestors, acted as an important spiritual ethos in Korea's social development centered on economic growth. Filial piety did not stop at being an ethical standard; it was the fundamental basis for macrosocial dynamism that was closely linked to the development of capitalism in Korea.

Keywords

filial pietyremembrance and representationfamilismancestor ritesConfucianism
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , August 2011 , pp. 171 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 

References

Amsden, Alice. 1989. Asia's Next Giant: South Korea and Late Industrialization. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bell, Daniel A., and Hahm, Chaibong, eds. 2003. Confucianism for the Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bellah, Robert. 1957. Tokugawa Religion: The Cultural Roots of Modern Japanese Capitalism. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Berger, Peter. 1983. “Securality: East and West.” In Cultural Identity and Modernization in Asian Countries: Proceedings of Kokugakuin University Centennial Symposium. Tokyo: Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University.Google Scholar
Cha, Seong-hwan. 1992. “Neo-Confucianism and Private Ethics.” In Sociological Understanding of Korean Religious Thoughts , ed. Cha, S. H., 44–110. Seoul: Munhakgwa jiseongsa. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Chan, Joseph. 1999. “A Confucian Perspective on Human Rights for Contemporary China.” In The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights , ed. Bauer, J. R. and Bell, D. A., 212–237. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Chang, Yun-Shik. 1989. “From Filial Piety to the Love of Children.” In The World Community in Post-Industrial Society: Changing Families in the World Perspective , ed. Korean Christian Academy, 77–94. Seoul: Wooseok Publishing.Google Scholar
Ching, Julia. 1977. Confucianism and Christianity. Tokyo: Kodansha International.Google Scholar
Cho, He-in. 1993. “Characteristics and Orders of a Rural Village in Chosun.” In The Structure and Characteristics of Confucian Traditional Society , ed. Yeonguwon, Hanguk Jeongshin Munhwa, 149–184. Seongnam: Hanguk Jeongshin Munhwa Yeonguwon. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Choi, Bong-young. 1999. “Neo-Confucian Perspective on Human Beings and Humanism.” Dongyangaahoesasang 2: 31–77. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Coase, Ronald. 1988 [1937]. “The Nature of the Firm.” Economica 4, reprinted in Coase, Ronald. The Firm, the Market, and the Law, 33–55. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Collins, Randall. 1980. “Weber's Last Theory of Capitalism: A Systematization.” American Sociological Review 45, 6: 925–942.Google Scholar
Davis, Diane, 2004. Discipline and Development: Middle Class and Prosperity in East Asia and Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
de Bary, Theodore. 1998. Asian Values and Human Rights: A Confucian Communitarian Perspective. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Deuchler, Martina. 1992. The Confucian Transformation of Korea: A Study of Society and Ideology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
DeVos, George A. 1998. “Confucian Family Socialization: The Religion, Morality, and Aesthetics of Propriety.” In Confucianism and the Family , ed. Slote, W. and DeVos, G., 329–380. Albany: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Eliade, Mircea. 1985. “Homo Faber and Homo Religious.” In The History of Religions , ed. Kitagawa, J. M., 1–12. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Fukuyama, Francis. 1995. “Confucianism and Democracy.” Journal of Democracy 6, 2: 20–33.Google Scholar
Fung, Yu-lan. 1952. A History of Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Hahm, Chai-bong. 1998. Post-Modern and Confucianism. Seoul: Nanam. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Hahm, Chai-bong. 2004. “The Ironies of Confucianism.” Journal of Democracy 15, 3: 93–107.Google Scholar
Hamilton, Gary. 1985. “Why No Capitalism in China? Negative Questions in Historical Comparative Research.” Journal of Developing Societies 1–2: 187–211.Google Scholar
Hamilton, Gary, and Biggart, Nicole. 1988. “Market, Culture and Authority: A Comparative Analysis of Management and Organization in the Far East.” American Journal of Sociology 94: 52–94.Google Scholar
Harris, Christopher. 1979. “The Sociology of the Family: New Directions for Britain.” In Sociological Review Monograph 28 , ed. Harris, C., 74–112. Chester, UK: Bemrose Press..Google Scholar
Hill, Michael. 1973. A Sociology of Religion. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Hofheinz, Roy Jr., and Calder, Kent E.. 1982. The East Asia Edge. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Hsu, Francis. 1967. Under the Ancestor's Shadow. New York: Anchor Books.Google Scholar
Jacobs, Norman. 1985. The Korean Road to Modernization and Development. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Janelli, Roger, and Janelli, Dawnhee Yim. 1982. Ancestor Worship and Korean Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Janelli, Roger, and Janelli, Dawnhee Yim. 2004. “The Transformation of Filial Piety in Contemporary South Korea.” In Filial Piety , ed. Ikels, C., 128–152. Stanford: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jeon, Sang-in. 2008. “Social Capital in the Chosun Period: Networks, Linkages, and Solidarity of Two Upper Classes.” In Social Capital in Korea: A Comparative Study on Traditional Society and Modern Society , ed. Lew, S. C. et al., 75–104. Seoul: Baeksan. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Jeong, Jin-yeong. 1991. “The Formation and Social Functions of Clan Villages in Late Chosun.” In Korean Historical Debate 21: Country Village Societies in Late Chosun , ed. Wiwonhoe, Guksa Pyeonchan, 29–68. Gwacheon: Guksa Pyeonchan Wiwonhoe. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Jung, Bok-Mi, Jung, Hae-Ok, and Kim, Eun-Sil. 2004. “A Study on Ancestral Service Preparation and Sacrificial Consciousness of Housekeepers Living in the Pusan and Yeosu Area.” Korean Journal of Culinary Research 10, 3: 135–154. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Kahn, Herman. 1979. World Development: 1979 and Beyond. Boulder: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Keum, Jang-tae. 1992. “Gods in Confucianism.” In A Discovery of Confucius' Thoughts , ed. Yun, S. S., 211–230. Seoul: Mineumsa. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Keum, Jang-tae. 2000. Thoughts and Rituals in Confucianism. Seoul: Yemunseowon. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Kim, Deok-gyun. 2004. “Life and Death and Religious Services of Confucianism from the Perspective of Filial Piety.” Hyohak Yeongu 1: 290–303. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Kim, Hyung-A. 2004. Korea's Development Under Park Chung-Hee: Rapid Industrialization, 1961-79. London: RoutledgeCurzon.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koh, Byong-ik. 1996. Tradition and Transformation of East Asian History. Seoul: Munhakgwajiseongsa. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Korea National Statistical Office. 2008. Social Indicators in Korea. Seoul: Korea National Statistical Office.Google Scholar
Kuk, Min-ho. 1999. State-initiated Industrialization in East Asia and Confucianism. Gwangju: Jeonnam Daehakgyo Chulpanbu. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Lee, Hae-jun. 1991. “Studies on Confucian Academy and Rural Village in Late Chosun.” In Korean Historical Debate 21: Country Village Societies in Late Chosun , ed. Wiwonhoe, Guksa Pyeonchan, 3–28. Gwacheon: Guksa Pyeonchan Wiwonhoe. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Lee, Jung Young, ed. 1988. Ancestor Worship and Christianity in Korea. New York: Edwin Mellon Press.Google Scholar
Lee, Kwang-Kyu. 1997. Korean Family and Kinship. Seoul: Jipmoondang.Google Scholar
Lee, Kwang-Kyu. 1998. “Confucian Tradition in the Contemporary Korean Family.” In Confucianism and the Family , ed. Slote, W. and DeVos, G., 249–266. Albany: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Lee, Seung-hwan. 1998. Social Philosophical Reconsideration on Confucianism. Seoul: Goryeo Daehakgyo Chulpanbu. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Lee, Seung-Yon. 2008. “A Review on Traditional Propriety Education in Elementary and Middle School.” Journal of Moral Education in Primary Schools 28: 216–238. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Lew, Seok-Choon, Chang, Mi-hye, and Kim, Tae-eun. 2003. “Affective Networks and Modernity: The Case of Korea.” In Confucianism for the Modern World , ed. Bell, D. and Hahm, C. B., 210–217. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lew, Seok-Choon, and Kim, Tae-eun. 2001. “Development of Township-Village Enterprises and the Re-institutionalization of the Family in China.” Global Economic Review 30, 4: 83–111.Google Scholar
MacFarquhar, Roderick. 1980. “The Post-Confucian Challenge.” The Economist , February 9, 67–72.Google Scholar
Maison, Edward, Manje, Kim, Perkins, Dwight, Suk, Kim Kwang, and Cole, Dadid, eds. 1980. The Economic and Social Modernization of the Republic of Korea. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Metzger, Thomas. 1977. Escape from Predicament: Neo-Confucianism and China's Evolving Political Culture. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Miyajima, Hiroshi. 1996. Two Upper Classes of Korea: In Search of Historical Substances. Seoul: Gang. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Park, Hee. 1992. “Organizational Operation and Labor Relations in Big Korean Corporations: A Study on the Effects of Familism.” PhD diss., Department of Sociology, Yonsei University. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Park, Seong-hwan. 1994. “Religion Development and Acculturation in Korea: Focused on Max Weber's Studies.” Hanguk Sahoehak 28: 53–84. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Park, Young-shin. 1983. “Structural Perception on Korean Traditional Society.” In Structure and Theory on Modern Society , 119–146. Seoul: Iljisa. (In Korean) Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert. 1993. Making Democracy Work: Civil Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Pye, Lucian W. 1985. Asian Power and Politics: The Cultural Dimensions of Authority. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Pye, Lucian W. 2000. “‘Asian Values’: From Dynamics to Dominoes?” In Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress , ed. Huntington, S. P. and Harrison, L. E., 244–255. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Redding, Gordon. 1990. The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism. London: Walter de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ringmar, Erik, 2005. Surviving Capitalism: We Learned to Live with the Market and Remained Almost Human. London: Anthem Press.Google Scholar
Rosemont, Henry. 1988. “Why Take Rights Seriously? A Confucian Critique.” In Human Rights and the World's Religions , ed. Rouner, L. S., 176–182. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.Google Scholar
Shim, Jae-Hoon. 1984. “Phenomenon of the Cross.” Far Eastern Economic Review 124, 16.Google Scholar
Shin, Jang-sup, and Chang, Ha-joon. 2003. Restructuring Korea Inc. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Shin, Kwang-Yeong, et al. 2000. Survey on Democracy and Traditional Beliefs , Korea Social Science Data Archive (KOSSDA, data # A1-2000-0003). Available at www.kossda.or.kr (accessed September 24, 2010).Google Scholar
Sorensen, Clark, and Kim, Sung-Chul. 2004. “Filial Piety in Contemporary Urban Southeast Korea: Practices and Discourse.” In Filial Piety , ed. Ikels, C., 153–181. Stanford: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sung, Kyu-Taik. 2005. Care and Respect for the Elderly in Korea. Seoul: Jimoondang.Google Scholar
Tai, Hung-chao, ed. 1989. Confucianism and Economic Development: An Oriental Alternative? Washington, DC: Washington Institute Press.Google Scholar
Taylor, Rodney. 1990. The Religious Dimensions of Confucianism. Albany: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Troeltsch, Ernst. 1958 [1912]. Protestantism and Progress: A Historical Study of the Relation of Protestantism to the Modern World (translated by Montgomery, W.). Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Tu, Wei-Ming. 1996. Confucian Traditions in East Asian Modernity: Moral Education and Economic Culture in Japan and the Four Mini-Dragons. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Tu, Wei-Ming, ed. 1991. The Triadic Chord: Confucian Ethics, Industrial East Asia and Max Weber. Singapore: Institute of East Asian Philosophies, National University of Singapore.Google Scholar
Vogel, Ezra. 1991. The Four Little Dragons. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Wade, Robert. 1990. Governing the Market: Economic Theory and the Role of Government in East Asian Industrialization. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, Max. 1930 [1920]. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (translated by Parsons, T.). New York: Scribner.Google Scholar
Weber, Max. 1951 [1920]. The Religion of China (translated by Gerth, H. H.). New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Weber, Max. 1961 [1923]. General Economic History (translated by Knight, F. H.). New York: Collier.Google Scholar
Williamson, Oliver. 1973. Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Yao, Souchou. 2002. Confucian Capitalism. London: RoutledgeCurzon.Google Scholar