Flexibility and Moral Cultivation in the Analects of Confucius

Flexibility, or acting in line with the needs of the situation rather than strictly adhering to prefigured rules and principles, has long been seen as a primary feature of early Confucian ethics as articulated in the Analects of Confucius. This paper develops an understanding of flexibility in the Analects through a close reading of two passages, 18.8 and 17.4. The goal is to both add nuance to standard readings of flexibility in the text and contribute to contemporary discourse, where consideration of moral flexibility is lacking. I show that while flexibility in the Analects is presented as an exemplary ethical approach, it requires a high level of moral cultivation, making it inaccessible to many. For those incapable of a flexible approach, a rigid approach that strictly adheres to rules and principles provides a means of both proper conduct and further ethical development. The Analects thus offers a fairly nuanced consideration of the notion of flexibility and the role of moral cultivation that can enliven contemporary ethical discourse.