ABSTRACT
This chapter describes harmony in the chinese tradition; confucian harmony as a social and political ideal; human dignity; relatedness and equality in confucian human dignity; and why harmony requires respect for human dignity. Harmony is an important concept in Confucian thinking. Although harmony does not have a central place in the West, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato had developed a theory of harmony based on his notion of ideal forms. According to the ancient Chinese thinking, harmony is based on heterogeneity. It gives rise to a desirable quality that is not contained in any single element but is nevertheless constituted by its elements and cannot exist without them. Thus, harmony as the basis of prosperity is also found in both the natural and the human worlds.Natural equality forms the basis of a common humanity. The Confucian project, grounds human dignity in our inborn human qing and natural equality. Rather than taking human dignity, it stresses achieving that dignity through self-cultivation.
