Hong Cheng

This paper proposes Confucian jiaohua as an ethical framework to guide the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into civic education. While AI increasingly mediates students’ access to civic knowledge, liberal models prioritizing critical reflection reveal limitations. Drawing on Confucian principles of “all under heaven” and “extension of love,” this paper outlines an approach centered on relational ethics, contextual judgment, and moral equality. Unlike liberal civic education, which abstracts moral learning from lived contexts, Confucian jiaohua emphasizes affective development and role-grounded responsibility. This paper argues that AI educational systems should not be framed as neutral tools but as active participants in a moral ecology that supports ethical growth through dialogue and situational learning. This framework balances technological innovation with moral cultivation, preparing students to engage as responsible global citizens.

Confucian political authority is often assumed illegitimate and it is regarded as meritocratic rather than democratic. However, I disagree with such an assumption, because from my perspective, Confucian political authority actually has a potential legitimacy which may contribute to establishing a responsive and harmonious state. Doing so, I argue that, since Confucian political authority is derived from the idea of “service” and “reciprocity,” it therefore advocates non-coercive moral persuasion and reciprocal obligations. In the following discussion, I will point out that certain modern democratic theories on political authority, such as those concerning “general acceptability,” “consent,” “autonomy,” and “paternalism,” are inadequate to refute the legitimacy of Confucian political authority. Accordingly, I will propose that our contemplation over whether Confucian political authority is legitimate or not ought to be furthermore widened and deepened.