MAX WEBER AND CONFUCIUS ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ASIAN COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF ITS CONFUCIAN HERITAGE AND GLOBALIZATION

ERNEST WOLF-GAZO*

ABSTRACT

The following essay is of a preliminary nature, because the complexity of the topic at
hand needs a more careful and detailed analysis. However, we do not have the more
specific knowledge base, on a global scale, in order to say anything definitive at this
point. Yet, relevant questions and the direction of research and inquiry mandate that
we deal with the question at hand that Max Weber formulated at the beginning of the
previous century: to what extent did the heritage of the teachings of Master K’ung (551-
479 B.C., known in the West as Confucius) have any bearings upon the economic motifs,
psychology and incentive of the so-called “Four little Dragons” (Singapore, Hong Kong,
the Republic of Korea, and Japan)? Needless to say, we now have to include the Peoples
Republic of China. Our aim in this presentation is not a strictly political, economic,
social, or religious one for that would be more of a specialists undertaking. Ours is more
complex, since we are trying, following the spirit of Weber, to see how the interacting
and interweaving patterns, habits and activities, such as religion and economics, relate
in the lives of Asian peoples. We are aiming at finding out how meaningful the teachings
of Master K’ung and its traditions (such as Neo-Confucianism) are in the actual living
experience of Asian peoples. We are aware, of course, that other religious traditions such
as Buddhism, Taoism, or Shinto left its mark upon the cultural ramification of East Asia.
Yet, for the sake of brevity and economics of space and time we concentrated merely
upon Confucius, its tradition, as well as Weber’s specific study on China and East Asia.
The critical comprehensive work on Weber’s leading questions and Asia still needs to be
written in the future. At this point we are more modest and merely hint at the possibility
of such an undertaking. The full historical dimension of East Asia needs to be better
known, especially, to western educated minds. The present essay comes to terms with
Max Weber’s treatment of East Asia as a sociology of religion, with some philosophic
underpinning; to be more specific, Confucianism and to some extend Buddhism and
Taoism, as belief-systems in East Asia. At this point we keep our aim on a preliminary
level and suggest a direction to be taken in research of the respective topic in order to
make more sense of a world transformed on a global scale.