Confucian trustworthiness and the practice of business in China

Confucius's teachings fall under four headings: "culture, moral conduct, do ing one's best, and being trustworthy in what one says" (7/25).(1) Trust or , more precisely, being trustworthy, plays a central role in the Confucian ethic. This paper begins by examining the Confucian concept of trustworthin ess. The second part of the paper discusses how the ideal of trustworthines s makes itself felt in business practices within China. The paper concludes by raising and addressing several objections to the Confucian emphasis on trustworthiness.