Theory, philosophy and sociology of Music in Ancient and Modern Confucianism
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Confucian ideas are deeply rooted in Chinese traditional culture, having played a crucial role in the formation and development of China's traditional musical art. This research focuses on the historical evolution and modern transformation of Confucian musical thought, systematically analyzing the philosophical content, social functions and practical value of its theoretical system in the context of various historical eras. The work is developing in three key areas: The first part is devoted to the theoretical system of ancient Confucian music, examining how ancient Confucianism integrated music into the cosmological paradigm of the "unity of Heaven and man", forming an ethical and pedagogical system based on the triadic system of interaction "sound - emotion — virtue"; the second part is devoted to the Philosophy of Confucian music in the era of modernization, An analysis of the theoretical reconstruction of Confucian musical philosophy in the context of the modernization turn of the New Age, where the traditional "ritual-musical system" (礼乐制度) was transformed under the influence of Western rationalism and technocratic civilization into the "aesthetics of spiritual nature"; the third part is devoted to practical value in modern society, the study of ways of creative transformation Confucian music theory in the context of globalization and digital technologies through the prism of cultural management, educational practices and environmental ethics. The present study overcomes the one-dimensional historical and philosophical narrativization, revealing the immanent logic of "variability-immutability" of Confucian music theory through a triad of methodological perspectives: philosophical ontology, political sociology and cultural praxeology. These conclusions form the theoretical basis for the reinterpretation of traditional cultural resources in the context of modernity, while simultaneously offering epistemological guidelines for the rehabilitation of the humanistic dimension in the era of technological determination.
Source: Философская мысль
Author: Junxi Zhu
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408056416