Confucius and Hsun Tzu are both prominent figures in Chinese history who lived in different time periods but ended up with the same ideas. The environment that they grew up in was quite similar in characteristics and so it is no surprise that their teachings were similar as well. There are mainly two ways that their ideas are similar: their focus on ancient texts and ancient sage kings and also their view on learning. Confucius and Hsun Tzu shares many similar characteristics but they have one fundamental difference which is their view on human nature.
Confucius or Master Kong as he is known in China lives from 551-479 BC where he spent most of his life in his birthplace, the state of Lu. (Elstein, “Confucius”) His father was a prominent
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fighter and administrator who later on became the governor and then the county of Confucius’ home state. (Dubs 31). During this time, the state was using a hereditary system and while Confucius may not be a titled noble, his family hereditarily held office within government. (Dubs 31) Once he came of age, he was given a minor post and able to enter government. (Dubs 31) On the side, he began his teaching career and soon began to gain a reputation that drew students from many places to him. During his time, the state of Lu was filled with many people fighting for power and Confucius was exiled a couple of times due to his involvement with the leaders which eventually led to him leaving government altogether and becoming a full time teacher. (Dubs 31) He had refused to hold office under a ruler that gained power by usurping the legitimate ruler through violence, showing his emphasis on legitimacy. (Dubs 31) It is not until thirteen years later, when a new ruler comes into power, that Confucius once again enter government. (Dubs 32) During this time, the state had just put down a rebellion and was trying to teach people uprightness and loyalty and Confucius seemed like the perfect person for the task. (Dubs 32) Confucius used this chance to develop a new form of government that would lead to peace but was betrayed in the end. (Dubs 32) Despite the promise of peace between the powerful people of the Lu state, their long rivalry won over and the fight continues. (Dubs 32) In the end, Confucius was once again exiled and would not return to the state of Lu for many years. (Dubs 32) Clearly, during his time, there are many conflicts within his state and Hsun Tzu also lived within a similar type of environment. Hsun Tzu was born around 310 BC in the state of Zhao and died around 238 BC (Elstein, “Xunzi”). In comparison to Confucius, there is not a lot known about his background. We do know that he attended school in the state of Qi where he was exposed to numerous other philosophers. (Elstein, “Xunzi”) He also held government office like Confucius and was quite well traveled, visiting many places during his life and sometimes getting employment in the place that he visited (Duyvendak 75) Like Confucius, he lived in a time period filled with conflicts, during the Warring States period (Elstein, “Xunzi”). The main difference though, is that Hsun Tzu had to cater his writings to match the ambition of the people during this time. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu ) States were constantly at war and people were mainly focused on the idea of victory. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu ) There seemed to be no point to reading works unless they tell you how to win and this was what Hsun Tzu had to write about so others will read his works or listen to him. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu ) Another differences is that Hsun Tzu lives in an era that is full of conflicting ideas. During Confucius’ time, there was really just his ideas circulating around. Hsun Tzu’s time in comparison, was filled with various voices, many different ideas circulating around. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Like what was previously mentioned, he went to a school with a high concentration of philosophers with differing viewpoints which gives him access to works of others and not just his alone. Ultimately, Confucius and Hsun Tzu developed similar ideas on their teachings where both of them decide to focus their studies on ancient texts and emphasize on similar virtues and practices. Confucius and Hsun Tzu both based their teachings on ancient texts and the practice of the ancient sage kings. They believed in bringing back the past and putting it into practice into their times. The rituals are the key to transforming human nature for both of them but the main difference is that while Confucius think that the ancient text can be changed to fit and work effectively in his time period, Hsun Tzu believes in practicing exactly what was written about the sage kings and their practices. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) The sage kings to him were able to create the rituals through practice and experimentations and they are then passed on in old classical texts. Hsun Tzu believed in the greatness of the sage and what they wrote is basically sacred and unchangeable. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Despite this difference, they both believe in ancient practices and this could be because of the chaotic circumstances of the time period that they grew up in forced them to look back into the past in an attempt to bring order into their time. Confucius lived in a state full of chaos and so he looks into the past as a way to create a better society in his time. He basically idealized the past and saw the time of the ancient sage kings similar to a golden age. (Ames 3) Therefore he decided to adopt the main practices of the ancient sage kings which are “observing ritual propriety and custom” and tried to implement them by teaching these concepts to his students. (Ames 3) Besides this, Confucius drew teachings from the Book of Documents and the Book of Songs as well in his teachings. (Ames 3) He believed in teaching anybody that was willing to learn, whether they are noble born or a common peasant. (HUM 204: Confucius) Hsun Tzu in contrast does not believe in equality as strongly as Confucius and this can be seen in the book, Hsun Tzu Basic Writings. Hsun Tzu believes in a hierarchical system since he believes that equality would cause social disharmony since people would get confused on what their role is in society. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Though while he may not believe in absolute equality, he did believe in the equality of treatment in regards to punishment and education. (Watson 46) It does not matter what your status, people are all subject to the same punishment for him. (Watson 46) Like Confucius, he believes that everybody have equal rights to learn and through learning, they would have the chance to move up the social ladder. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Learning to both Hsun Tzu and Confucius is an ongoing process, never to end. According to Hsun Tzu, learning is how desires can be restrained.
Desires will always exist but through learning, it can be controlled since learning is not only about maturing intellectual but also reforming your characters.(HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Learning starts with recitation of the classics and ends with reading the ritual texts. (Hsun Tzu 19) Hsun Tzu puts great emphasis on the honoring of rituals and he sees it as the true way of learning. (Hsun Tzu 20-21) Learning to him involves what he calls conscious activity (wei) (Schofer, 118). Confucius in comparison, sees the love of learning as simply essential in life. (Beck) Learning would contribute to the well being of the virtues but it is not just simply learning alone, but the active pursuit and love of learning (Beck). Learning is not just about reading or memorizing texts but also about the practice. Confucius was a very practical man and his teachings definitely shows his emphasis on this idea. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) He thinks that it is alright for people to do wrong as long as they learn from the experience and reform him/herself. (HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Wisdom, according to Confucius, is about knowing what you know and what you do not know.(HUM 204: Xunzi) Knowing everything is not essential because the true way of the master is about doing one’s best (zhong) and acting with empathy. (Ames) Learning is about bringing knowledge into action and sharing the knowledge with other people so that they can learn as well.(HUM 204: Hsun Tzu) Essentially, both figures sees learning as a way to create social harmony and order within
society. While they are quite similar in terms of their background and teaching methods, they have one fundamental difference. The main difference between these two ancient figures is on their idea of human nature. Hsun Tzu believes that human is by nature bad as they are haunted by desires and what they do is under its influence. (Schofer 117) According to him, humans are born with greed, envy, hate and violence which leads them astray from courtesy, humility, loyalty and good faith. (Watson 157) These characteristics is also why human strive for goodness because evil longs for what they do not have which is goodness just like how ugly people seeks beauty and poor people strive for wealth (Watson 161) Goodness can be obtained through conscious actions (wei) by which Hsun Tzu means “when the mind conceives a thought and the body puts it into action… When the thoughts have accumulated sufficiently, the body is well trained, and then the action is carried to completion, this is also called conscious activity.” (Schofer 118) Conscious activities would include things like “studying texts, practicing rituals, being conscious of good and bad qualities in oneself and others, following the instructions of a teacher, associating with good and learned people, and concentrating in attaining the qualities exhibited by a Confucian sage.” (Schofer 119) Once someone have completed a certain number of accomplishments, “they can be reformed, even perfected, through self-cultivation.” (Elstein, “Xunzi”) The idea is probably that with each task that is done, that person would gain some new knowledge and experience and that helps them with their self cultivation. Confucius in contrast, sees human nature to be naturally good and like Xunzi, think that everybody would want to be good albeit for a different reason. (HUM 204: Xunzi) He did not go right out and directly stated it like Hsun Tzu but his view on human nature being good is implied in texts like the Analect. (Hwang 46) Just like Socrates, there is no existing works that is actually written by him but actually by writers like his disciples. It may be the case that he did not actually believe that human nature is actually good but we can only assume that texts like The Analect really were his thoughts and ideas. Confucius and Hsun Tzu both played a great part in the development of Asian thoughts and continues to influence many people today with their teachings. They have similar backgrounds and it is possibly due to their environments that led them to come up with parallel ideas. Both figures based their teachings on ancient sources and taught using similar ideas. Despite all these similarities though is that they have main difference that separated them. They basically started out with the same materials but ended up with a different conclusion in regards to their viewpoint on human nature where one views human nature as bad and the other as good. Though ultimately, they both have the same aim which is the betterment of society.
Confucius was a philosopher, political intellect and an educator whose philosophies have significantly prejudiced not only the Chinese principles but the entire world evolution. He lived through the “Spring” and “Autumn” epoch of Chinese history, when east central China was separated over a dozen fighting states. The inordinate ailment and grief he saw swayed his political thoughts, which highlighted command, grading and the rule of a compassionate self-governing state.
Shows how Confucius teaches individuals of both high and low birth to strive for success in their lifetime.
As one of the greatest founding novels of Taoism, Book of Chuang Tzu serves to strengthen Lao Tzu 's arguments in Tao Te Ching and lays the foundation for Taoism 's place in Chinese philosophy. Because Confucianism and Taoism are two competing philosophy schools that share more outstanding differences than similarities, the followers of both schools often refute and evaluate the ideals of the opposite school. However, the constant appearance of Confucius as the main character in more than twenty chapters in Book of Chuang Tzu not only surprises the readers, but also calls for deep analysis of the roles played Confucius in order to understand the true meaning of this ancient literature. While Chuang Tzu criticizes many of the Confucian ideas
that it is fair that "If he has broken the limb of a patrician, his
Confucianism became popular during the Han Dynasty as it was the state religion and had a great impact on East Asia (Confucianism 1, pg. 7). Born in 551 BCE in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Confucius himself absorbed the teachings of Mahavira and the Buddha (Confucianism 1, pg. 2) He had a set of virtues that he believed a functioning society should stand by such as benevolence, love and rites. Confucius wanted China to return to the old days when people were loyal to their rulers and rulers were polite and caring towards their people. He believed rulers s...
Confucius believed people’s learning and practicing that they learned decide who they will become when they are adults. Throughout his life he emphasized the importance of education. He believed that everyone should be educated. The Aphorism 15.39
For those individuals that choose to look into the philosophy of Confucius, Confucianism recognizes that the quest for virtue is ordinary and providential. However, in this quest of moral aptness Confucius tried to offer other people the fervent self love that he had greatly embodied. To actually make oneself as perfect as possible was the central concern of life. Al...
Taoism and Confucianism are two major Chinese philosophies. I say that they are philosophies because religions tend to worship deities and Taoism and Confucianism don’t seems to worshiping anything. To some they appear to be different, even clashing but to me, they seem very much alike but they come at it from different points of view. Both philosophies strive to reach harmony but in to very different ways. I do believe the reason they can co-exist is because they see Tao from two different ways.
In India, around the 6th century B.C., a man gave up his royal lifestyle to attain enlightenment, and began teaching others the path to enlightenment as well. This prince-turned-teacher became known as the Buddha. At the same time, in China, Confucius too was just initiating his teachings in social construction. Their teachings became important and are still influential in their home countries. For India, and later on in China too, Buddhism became a religion and in China, Confucianism became a social structure model. Throughout their teachings, three philosophies were covered by both teachers in their own way. These viewpoints were humanity without selfishness, education in the fundamentals of firmness of beliefs and keeping fresh minds, and
In conclusion, Daoism and Confucianism seem to have a lot more in common than one might think. The two philosophies share the same viewpoints on the notions of filial piety and education. I believe, the principles and values that are taught in those philosophies could be of great benefit to our contemporary society.
Human nature is one of the most core concerns of every Chinese philosopher we have studied this semester. Each one holds a particular stance when they address human’s natural state, and this very much contributes to their philosophy overall. For example, Confucius, Mencius and Han Fei Tzu all differ in their ideas of human nature, and this shaped each one’s particular philosophy.
There is a similar bond between the Confucians and the Tao in the category rules and behavior. They both believe that you must act accordingly in some way. These two are different also in the sense that Tao believe the life is to be lived according to the Tao and Confucians believe to live it according to actions. Also, the Confucians believed you need to understand the relationship with family, and to follow the five goals of Confucianism. The Buddhists had a totally different idea for this though; they believe that you just need to follow behavior in the ways of the eightfold path and the nine precepts.
The Chinese philosopher, teacher and politician, Confucius, highlighted the importance of personal morality and the ability to think for one’s self during the failure of imperial rule. His teachings became an orthodox philosophy in which followers realize the prominence of higher thinking and how one can achieve personal junzi, or “the gentleman”, through Confucius’ lessons. Throughout much of The Analects of Confucius, the master lists many ways to achieve junzi, such as book XII, chapter 16. The gentleman theme appears multiple times during the book to emphasize what Confucius believes a superior man should strive to achieve in his lifetime so as to reach Heaven. His goal in writing down his lessons was to produce moral men to think, speak
Legge, James, Trans. Confucius — Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean. New York: Dover Publications, 1971.
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.