The Differences and Similarities between Confucian Ethics and Modern Western Ethics: A Response to Professor Ruiping Fan

This short essay takes up Professor Fan Ruiping's paper on the comparison between Confucian ethics and modern Western ethics in light of the 2020 pandemic. Professor Fan argues that the reason China has been more successful in dealing with the pandemic is because Confucian ethics are better suited to a response to the pandemic than Western ethics are. As he suggests, Confucian family-centered ethics stress the importance of social obligations, making it easier for the government to impose stringent lockdown measures to fight the spread of coronavirus. This essay agrees by and large with Professor Fan's overall thesis, but it cautions against over-exaggeration of the differences between Confucian ethics and Western ethics.