國立臺灣大學哲學論評

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This paper intends to investigate how much philosophical ideas influence human behavior, using the example of the differing reactions between the Americans and the Chinese toward mask-wearing during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The example is philosophically significant because we are facing with a situation where both sides had their good reasons for wearing, or not wearing, protective masks, although the scientific data seem to mandate that everyone should react with an undivided voice. The paper therefore focuses on the cultural influences of these behaviors and argues that the Chinese emphasis of communal good is conceptually and practically a legacy of the Confucian idea of ren (humaneness). The paper considers issues relating to methodology, Chinese philosophy of ren, and Chinese political philosophy based on the concept of ren and concludes that the divergent attitudes regarding mandatory mask-wearing were reflections of cultural implants which deserve further study.