Confucian ethics fundamentally rejects the notion of individual physical immortality, grounded in its intrinsic
generative cosmology of“shengsheng”(continuous generation and renewal) and the temporal structure of filial piety.
Familial emotions, such as the“joy”and“fear”concerning parental years, along with the consciousness of filial
piety, both originate from the experience of life’s finitude and the limited horizon of inner time−consciousness.
Physical immortality, by contrast, would result i…
Read moreConfucian ethics fundamentally rejects the notion of individual physical immortality, grounded in its intrinsic
generative cosmology of“shengsheng”(continuous generation and renewal) and the temporal structure of filial piety.
Familial emotions, such as the“joy”and“fear”concerning parental years, along with the consciousness of filial
piety, both originate from the experience of life’s finitude and the limited horizon of inner time−consciousness.
Physical immortality, by contrast, would result in the rigidification of family roles, the dissolution of ethical authority,
and paradoxes in the practice of filial care, thereby undermining the ethical order of generational succession. The
Confucian concept of“longevity”(shou) aims at fulfilling one’s allotted natural lifespan and integrating into the
flow of“shengsheng”, which differs essentially from the pursuit of physical immortality that seeks to transcend
natural rhythms. Confucian efforts to attain“longevity”seek to preserve the intergenerational continuity and ethical
significance of life, rather than the infinite persistence of the individual.
儒家伦理以内在的“生生”宇宙观为根基，其孝道的时间性结构决定了它在根本上拒斥个
体身体不朽的构想。家庭情感，如对父母之年的“喜”与“惧”，以及孝道意识，均源于生命有
限性的体验与内时间意识的有限视域。身体不朽则会导致家庭角色固化、伦理权威消解以及行孝
实践的悖论，从而瓦解代际更替的伦理秩序。儒家“寿”的概念以尽天年为旨归，融入“生生”
之流，与试图超越自然节律的身体不朽存在本质差异；其对“寿”的追求旨在维护生命的代际连
续性与伦理意义，而非个体的无限持存。
