On "Companion Robot" and the Modern Transformation of Confucian Views on Women's Morality

Traditional Confucianism is by no means devoid of the spirit of gender equality. Wives have always been regarded as equal partners and ethical subjects who jointly fulfill the “moral meaning of human life”. The traditional Confucian view of womanhood and marriage neither simply demands that "wives be obedient to husbands", nor emphasizes gender equality in an abstract manner. Instead, it stresses the emotional communion, ethical empathy, complementary collaboration between men and women in the pursuit of life value and the fulfillment of ethical obligations. It has been proven that merely advocating gender equality cannot avoid such problems as gender confrontation and marital conflicts experienced in the process of Western modernization. In the modern transformation of the traditional Confucian view of womanhood, we should neither interpret it in a one-sided and narrow way, nor confine ourselves to the "abstract universality" thinking rooted in Western modern values. To reflect on contemporary issues by returning to the authentic implications of the traditional Confucian outlook on womanhood and marriage, on the premise that gender equality is widely recognized in society, we ought to acknowledge the inherent differences between men and women, and highlight the integration, complementarity and cooperation between husband and wife. This approach can eliminate misunderstandings of traditional Confucian views on womanhood, enrich the concrete connotation of "gender equality", and foster a sound outlook on marriage and family. Since companion robots lack ethical consciousness regarding the moral meaning of life and marital responsibilities, they cannot serve as partners or ethical subjects to jointly fulfill the moral imperative of humanity. Nor can humans achieve moral and emotional communion with robots. It follows that the Confucian view of womanhood can never endorse the application of companion robots.