Materializing Morality in Ancient China? An Exegesis of Confucius’ Imperative to “Hide Rites in Implements” (Cangli Yuqi, 藏礼于器)

Abstract

Technologies always have social and value dimensions, shaping how we think and what we do. These insights have been central to recent trends in “internalist” approaches to technology ethics, the view that values are internal to and embedded in technical design. These approaches include work on technological mediation, value sensitive design, and choice architecture, etc. Despite a separation of more than 2000 years, such insights are central to Confucian thought, contributing to a Confucian ethics of technology, which is more relevant today than ever before. This piece outlines one stand of that thought, providing a reading of Confucius’ imperative to “hide rites in implements” (cangli yuqi, 藏礼于器) and its relation to contemporary technology ethics.

摘要：技术蕴含着社会与价值的维度，塑造着我的思想与行动。这种观念是当前”内在主义”技术伦理思潮的核心思想。内在主义技术伦理认为，价值内在于技术设计并通过技术设计而体现，包括技术中介论、价值敏感性设计和选择架构等研究进路。尽管相隔两千多年，但儒家已经有类似的发现，回顾儒家的技术伦理思想在今天比以往任何时候都更有意义。这篇文章通过对儒家”藏礼于器”思想的解读，提供了一个儒家技术伦理的概要以及它与当代技术伦理的关系。