ABSTRACT
In this essay I shall sketch a comparative methodology that appeals to virtue ethics to help illuminate Confucianism. “ Virtue ethics” is a phrase well known to Western ethicians. I shall discuss virtue ethics in more detail below, but briefly, virtue ethics focuses on what sort of person one should become, and what way of life one should live.1 Although “ virtue ethics” is not a Chinese term, I think that Confucianism counts as a form of virtue ethics 一 but a kind of virtue ethics different in many respects from those forms that have been dominant in the West.2 These differences have the potential to challenge us and contribute to ongoing philosophical debates by making us aware of new con ceptions of the virtues and of ways of living a worthwhile life. Furthermore, I believe that applying the vocabulary of virtue ethics illuminates many interest ing aspects of Confucianism that might otherwise go unnoticed.
