Lesson 8: “Debates on Asian Values” (An Essay by Koh Byong-ik) Part 1

Study Contents “Asian Values” and the “Four Dragons” (四龍) Differing Interpretations

“Asian Values and the Four Dragons” In recent years we frequently encounter the new phrase ‘Asian Values.’ It implies the traditional cultural and social value orientations of Asians in general, but usually the cultural traditions of East Asians in particular. These values are thought to have contributed to the spectacular economic growth of the ‘Four Small Dragons’: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. Until modern times, however, the cultural and social traditions of most of the Asian countries have been viewed by Westerners as somewhat spiritualistic or mysterious, but chiefly as despotic, stagnant, and backward. Such negative views dominated the thinking and policies of scholars and statesmen of the West, ranging from Montesquieu through Hegel and Marx to Weber. Asian backwardness was diagnosed as rooted in religion and traditional values that mostly hindered social dynamism and economic progress. Such Western appraisal was often accepted also by the Asians themselves.

“Asian Values and the Four Dragons” cont’d After the Second World War and liberation from foreign colonial rule, many of these countries embarked on nation-building and modernization. Some of them emerged as remarkable industrial powers. And the West’s view of Asia has changed accordingly. The wording of ‘Asian Values’ does not come from the Eastern scholars but from the Western. Interestingly, it was not the Western scholars specializing in Eastern thought, culture or history, but in business administration, economics or future studies, who coined the phrase. The “four small dragons” emerged so rapidly from the near feudal stagnancy to an advanced industrial and capitalist society that theorists and economists rushed for plausible explanations applicable to this unusual phenomenon.

“Asian Values and the Four Dragons” cont’d They found a borrowable theory from the masterly studies of the economic ethics of the world religions of the early 20th century sociologist, economist and historian, Max Weber. He had theorized in his analysis and interpretation on the rise of capitalism in early Europe that the Protestants’ religious dedication to their commercial work ethics had made the remarkable development and flourishing of capitalism there possible. This theory was conveniently applied to the East Asian case, that is, to the Confucian work ethics. It was generally understood that, in the doctrine of Confucianism, major emphasis was laid upon human ethical relations, hard work, self-restraint and education; such Confucian cultural tradition could have helped bring about the rapid economic development of the East Asian countries.

Differing Interpretations There are, of course, differing interpretations of the East Asian phenomenon, but in general those voices of positive appraisal for the Confucian traditions (e.g. Hermann Kahn, Tu Wei-ming, Geoffrey Sachs, Francis Fukuyama, etc.) seem louder than voices of critical and negative evaluation (e.g. Paul Krugman, Bruce Cummings, etc.). Generally the most frequently cited Confucian virtues conducive to the economic development are the following: zeal for literacy and education; self-restraint and conforming to larger groups; diligence and frugality; deference and obedience to seniority and authority; firm ties of family and clan, filial piety as pivot; modesty and decorum, etc.

Differing Interpretations cont’d Lee Kwan Yew is an enthusiastic defender of Confucian ethics, and remains active in promoting Confucian values, and holds the honorary chairmanship of the Confucius Foundation of Mainland China.

End of Lesson 8 – Part 1