仁과 義로 판단해본 直躬의 直

Abstract

The Zhigong[直躬] anecdote tells a story of a father being reported to the authorities by his son for stealing a sheep, and this story puts readers in a dilemma, causing a clash between social ethics and family ethics. This issue may not, however, be a dilemma according to Confucian logic. When one delves into the essence of the Zhigong issue, he or she would consider it as a clash between benevolence and justice. In such a case, the moral value of benevolence is superior to that of justice, which means that it is no ultimate dilemma. Zhigong's story clearly raises an "issue of benevolence" in that the son reported his father. When the son reported his father, it raised an issue of filial duty, which is the root of conducting benevolence. The issue of Zhigong is thus an "issue of benevolence." It is, at the same time, an "issue of justice" as the Zhi (truthfulness) of his name Zhigong seems to connote the meaning of justice. Since there had been few traditional interpretations connecting the truthfulness of Zhigong to justice, this study set a practical goal of finding those grounds. The investigator examined correlations between truthfulness and justice in the aspects of meanings in the dictionary and the reporting event, and found the strongest grounds for their correlations in『Chunqiu Zuoshizhuan(春秋左氏傳)』(14th year of Duke Zhao's reign in Lu). Shu Xiang[叔向], a grandee in Qin Dynasty who refused to cover up his brother's crime and handled it fairly, was praised by Confucius who said, "He is truthful! His action deserves the word meaning just and honest." This expression shows "correlations between truthfulness and justice." This deserves further attention as it was personally mentioned by Confucius. "Zhigong's dilemma" is a symbolic event showing that there are conflicts between benevolence and justice, as well. One may have a difficult time accepting the fact that the two most important values of Confucianism can clash, but it is rather normal from the viewpoint of Confucian theory. Zhigong's story shows why benevolence is superior to justice in Confucianism. The present study examined which of the differences between benevolence and justice would help to resolve Zhigong's dilemma. Zhigong's issue is both an "issue of benevolence" and "that of justice." It is a clash between benevolence and justice. Zhigong made a foolish mistake, siding only with justice. One can make "Zhigong's foolish mistake" by putting justice too much ahead while neglecting benevolence, even if he or she does not go as far as reporting his or her parent. This is the message of Zhigong's story in 『Analects of Confucius 』.