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Compassion as Justice

Compassion as Justice COMPARATIVE ETHICS Richard Reilly St. Bonaventure University In what follows,1 I consider the relationship between "justice" and "compassion" or "love of neighbor." Generally speaking, Western philosophical ethics tend to be based on notions of "justice" and what is "right," whereas religious ethics tend to be based on love or compassion. Many see an antinomy between these bases of moral value, especially in light of Immanuel Kant's rejection of the Golden Rule as an adequate criterion for moral discernment. To begin I examine Kant's rejection of the Golden Rule and then proceed to indicate how both the Christian and the Mahayana Buddhist might respond successfully to the basis of Kant's critique. Then, following Arthur Schopenhauer's lead, I construct an account of Golden Rule reasoning-- within primarily a Buddhist context--that supports the view that compassion is the basis of all moral value and, hence, of what it means to act justly or rightly. I close with an examination of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard to illuminate how this view of the relationship of compassion and justice is fundamental to Gospel ethics. rationalizing the golden rule In the broadest sense, the Golden Rule is the notion that one's http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Buddhist-Christian Studies University of Hawai'I Press

Compassion as Justice

Reilly, Richard
Buddhist-Christian Studies , Volume 26 (1) – Nov 6, 2006
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University of Hawai'I Press
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Copyright © 2006 The University of Hawai'i Press.
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1527-9472
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Abstract

COMPARATIVE ETHICS Richard Reilly St. Bonaventure University In what follows,1 I consider the relationship between "justice" and "compassion" or "love of neighbor." Generally speaking, Western philosophical ethics tend to be based on notions of "justice" and what is "right," whereas religious ethics tend to be based on love or compassion. Many see an antinomy between these bases of moral value, especially in light of Immanuel Kant's rejection of the Golden Rule as an adequate criterion for moral discernment. To begin I examine Kant's rejection of the Golden Rule and then proceed to indicate how both the Christian and the Mahayana Buddhist might respond successfully to the basis of Kant's critique. Then, following Arthur Schopenhauer's lead, I construct an account of Golden Rule reasoning-- within primarily a Buddhist context--that supports the view that compassion is the basis of all moral value and, hence, of what it means to act justly or rightly. I close with an examination of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard to illuminate how this view of the relationship of compassion and justice is fundamental to Gospel ethics. rationalizing the golden rule In the broadest sense, the Golden Rule is the notion that one's

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Buddhist-Christian Studies – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Nov 6, 2006

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