This paper reflects on the challenge that emotivism in moral philosophy sets for traditional cultures rooted in and shaped by natural wisdom. One could argue that Western and Chinese civilizations remain utterly incom...This paper reflects on the challenge that emotivism in moral philosophy sets for traditional cultures rooted in and shaped by natural wisdom. One could argue that Western and Chinese civilizations remain utterly incommensurable and incommunicable to each other unless they share in some common source.C. S. Lewis describes 'the sole source of all value judgments'by the notion of the'Tao'. The reflection points to Matteo Ricci’s appreciation of natural reason as providing the means for dialogue between distant cultures. To give a further account of the sapiential dimension of natural reason,this paper offers some insight into Thomas Aquinas ’ metaethical doctrine. His medieval teaching sheds light on the natural sources of moral wisdom,practical reasoning,and human goodness,and thus helps to secure their philosophical account from the 'stepping outside the Tao'of emotivism.展开更多
文摘This paper reflects on the challenge that emotivism in moral philosophy sets for traditional cultures rooted in and shaped by natural wisdom. One could argue that Western and Chinese civilizations remain utterly incommensurable and incommunicable to each other unless they share in some common source.C. S. Lewis describes 'the sole source of all value judgments'by the notion of the'Tao'. The reflection points to Matteo Ricci’s appreciation of natural reason as providing the means for dialogue between distant cultures. To give a further account of the sapiential dimension of natural reason,this paper offers some insight into Thomas Aquinas ’ metaethical doctrine. His medieval teaching sheds light on the natural sources of moral wisdom,practical reasoning,and human goodness,and thus helps to secure their philosophical account from the 'stepping outside the Tao'of emotivism.
