From: 61l512@cfi.waseda.ac.jp (Hello, who are you ?)
Subject: An article from Norway about Japanese culture
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: wucc.cfi.waseda.ac.jp
Organization: Dept of Applied Physics, Waseda University
Distribution: fj
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 07:01:24 GMT

Here is an article I found in other newsgroup. If you want to
reply or discuss with auther, not sent to me, please sent it 
to the author Ingar Holst (holst@ulrik.uio.no) !!

==========================Forward Begin========================== 
Some thoughts on oriental ethics

By Ingar Holst (holst@ulrik.uio.no)

Note: For technical reasons, I cannot read replies to this message
sent to newsgroup. If ou wish me to see your reply, please send it to
my email address (above).

Basically, in order to place the Japanese and the Chinese cultures
relative to the Western (Norwegian, American, et cetera), one could
take into consideration a couple of moral concepts and see how they
apply to these three cultural spheres; guilt and shame.

The Western cultural sphere is foremostly a guilt culture. This is
our Kantian heritage (right, Thomas?). You do something which you
believe is morally wrong, and you feel bad (guilty) regardless of
whether anyone observed the misdeed or not. We have Roman institu-
tions like the absolution and indulgence. In the Protestant countries
there are chastity and moderation as ideals in their place. Here we
have four primordial Western moral values; 

- absolution
- indulgence
- chastity
- moderation.

Please note that *none* of these concepts are known to either the
Chinese or the Japanese as moral ideals. They know these concepts,
and one may find translations of them, all right, but they do not
exist as models to follow, or ideals to live after. On the contrary,
in particular the Chinese culture have quite opposite moral ideals;
like splendour, richness, excess, et cetera. The same goes for the
Japanese, but I gather it is the (educational?) difference in intel-
ligence among these two peoples that causes the Japanese to be more
subtle and indirect when expressing wealth or showing off splendour.

Both the Japanese and the Chinese can thus be said to care a great
deal about the positive impression they leave with other people.
While we could say there is a considerable difference in style
between them, the ends is the same.

As for the *negative* impression they might leave with people, at
least the Japanese care the utmost. When they feel condemned by
the looks of their surroundings, they loose face and - in the
former samurai era - the only honourable way out was seppuku. this
is why foreigners often are betaken by the great care the Japanese,
even the ones less educated, will take not to offend or embarrass
the second person. If the second person is offended or embarrassed,
the first person's face is lost, as the Japanese are responsible
for the guests in their country. This is why one must be careful
how to frase questions when addressing a Japanese. If you ask:

- Is the station this way?

The answer will in 90% of the cases by yes, because it is impolite
to negate whatever you are saying. If you are really looking for
the station, then ask:

- Could you please indicate the direction to the station?

The same is the case for questions like:

- Is it only 5 minutes walk to the station?

Your presumption will most often be confirmed, even if the Japanese
*knows* the station is one hour away. Likewise, one may often find
oneself in taxis in Japan after a long drive the driver confesses
he doesn't know the address. One then wonders why he didn't say
so in the first place. The answer may be he didn't want to dis-
appoint you because you looked so happy to find a taxi in the rain.

So much about the Japanese face.

......

So much about the Chinese ars.

To sum up:

The Westernes have what comes closest to objective moral: Guilt.
The Japanese have what may be termed subjective moral: Shame.
The Chinese have ......

.....
 
 =============================End==============================
-- 
			61l512@cfi.waseda.ac.jp