Abstract
This paper critically analyzes Norman Kucther’s article “The Fifth Relationship: Dangerous Friendships in the Confucian Context”, trying to point out its weak and strong arguments, trying to find out whether Confucian attitude towards friendship is benefit-oriented, or whether Kutcher’s statement has been exaggerated.
Keywords: Kutcher, Confucius, Confucian, friendship
Confucian Friendship: In Search of Benefit or Virtue
In his article “The Fifth Relationship: Dangerous Friendships in the Confucian
Context” Norman Kutcher explores Confucian and Neo-Confucian attitude towards friendship, placing a special emphasis on the benefits associated with having proper friends. This article gives a detailed explanation of inner motives and potential origins of each new friendly relationship in the medieval China, drawing us to a conclusion that the only voluntary tie in the society should be as beneficial and socially appropriate as the bonds or ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brother and brother. The essence of Kutcher’s argument is the necessity of having proper friends that would help an individual to develop and perform his social and family functions significantly better. However, with a closer look at Kutcher’s argumentation, it becomes transparent that his line of evidence is not persuasive enough, highlighting certain moments from a single perspective. In fact, additional research, as well as critical insight into Kutcher’s own article, contribute to the idea that mercenary motives can hardly be regarded as the sole ones in the Confucian and Neo-Confucian attitude towards friendship.
Even though Kutcher provides plenty of reliable academic sources to prove his point of view, his references to Confucius himself are scarce throughout the entire article. This, however, is seen as a major flaw, since while developing an argument regarding Confucian attitude towards friendly ties, it seems highly important to pay a special attention to the original source rather than to the subsequent sources. Kutcher points out a series of totally reasonable arguments, stressing the fact that according to the Confucian and Neo-Confucian thought, a friendship was the fifth bond, totally different from the bonds of father and son, ruler and minister, brother and brother, husband and wife. This argument is supported by several sources, both Oriental and Occidental ones. However, despite pointing out the fact that friendship is a unique bond that is voluntary and can be severed if necessary, throughout his entire article, Kutcher goes on drawing analogues between friendship and the rest of the mentioned above human ties. Step by step, Kutcher compares friendly ties and the benefits they could bring into the political development of an individual (ruler-minister relationship), as well as into the social and family growth of a man’s personality (father-son, brother-brother, even husband-wife relationship).
The idea that friendship could and should be useful is evidently present throughout the entire “The Fifth Relationship: Dangerous Friendships in the Confucian Context”. Along the way, Norman Kutcher explores the potential dangers of friendship that can be harmful for each of the non-friendly social and human ties, drawing our attention to the fact that a man who associates with improper friends can gradually become negligent …