Confucius-Summary
Master Kung, also known as Kung Fu-tzu is known to be the Confucius of the west. He is one of the most well known philosophers in Chinese history. Confucianism has evolved so much over the years that no one knows the original thoughts of the master. Master Kung established a tradition of cultural values. Confucius wanted to attain a position in government so he could influence the ruler, thus helping him make wiser decisions. He was appointed to a governmental position in Lu but it was brief. So he traveled the neighboring states hoping to attain another position, and he did but he often spoke his mind when he shouldn’t have and was forced to leave again. When he returned home he realized that through his teaching he would be able to affect the people more. Confucius taught that all human affairs were structured by five relationships: father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, ruler and official, and friend and friend. He had a major emphasis on the family because three of these relationships focus on the family. Confucius was more of a summarizer and rephraser of truths than an original thinker. He focused on the relation of human being to human being and the relation of governor to governed.
Confucius Life
Confucius is described, by Sima Qian and other sources, as having endured a poverty-stricken and humiliating youth and been forced, upon reaching manhood, to undertake such petty jobs as accounting and caring for livestock. Confucius surname Kong (which means literally an utterance of thankfulness when prayers have been answered), his tabooed given name Qiu, and his social name Zhongni, all appear connected to the miraculous circumstances of his birth. We do not know how Confucius himself was educated, but tradition has it that he studied ritual with the Daoist Master Lao Dan, music with Chang Hong, and the lute with Music-master Xiang. At the age of fifty, when Duke Ding of Lu was on the throne, Confucius' talents were recognized and he was appointed Minister of Public Works and then Minister of Crime. But Confucius apparently offended members of the Lu nobility who were with Duke Ding for power and he was subsequently forced to leave office and go into exile. In any case, by most traditional accounts, Confucius returned to Lu in 484 BCE and spent the remainder of his life teaching,...
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...e to physical force, such ‘virtue’ also enabled the ruler to maintain good order in his state without troubling himself and by relying on loyal and effective deputies. The way to maintain and cultivate such royal ‘virtue’ was through the practice and enactment of li or ‘rituals’—the ceremonies that defined and punctuated the lives of the ancient Chinese aristocracy.
Confucius Sayings
Confucius was a man who talked about the virtues and principles of life dealing with family, government, and work. These concepts were often reflected in his quotes. These are a few to ponder the mind:
1. Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have.
2. It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.
3. He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.
4. If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life.
5. They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
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.
Confucianism is a religious philosophy formed by the Chinese philosopher Kung-fu-Tsu. This philosophy came out of need during the warring states period of Chinese history. K'ung-fu-Tsu was a teacher at the hundred schools. His prime concern was the improvement of society. Confucianism has no gods, and the only written history of this religion is in the Analects, a collection of his responses to his disciple's questions. K'ung-fu-Tsu believed that the improvement of society was the responsibility of the ruler and that the quality of government depended on the ruler's moral character. This new way meant concern for others and adherance to the golden rule. Confucianism has had a greater and longer lasting influence on China than that of any other religious philosophy.
Following the Way in the pursuit of goodness leads people to the status of “gentleman.” However, this status can only be achieved from a lifelong pursuit, which if accomplished by many, will eventually lead to innate goodness within the entire society. Confucius reveals the amount of learning and time required for achieving such status of “gentleman” in book two, chapter four, where he states, “At fifteen, I set my mind upon learning. At thirty, I took my stand. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned. At seventy, I follow all the desires of my heart without breaking any rule” (Analects, in NAWL, eds. Martin Puchner, et al., 3rd edition, vol. A, 1335). Confucius presents the achievement of the “gentleman” status in a superior, yet moderate manner. He does not motivate by promising personal gain or achievement; he instead teaches to always place what is right and morally correct as top priority. It was believed by Confucius that moderation led
Confucius (Kong Zi) lived from 551 to 479 BC in the state of Lu (in modem Shandong province). He came from a family of officials and his concern was with the restoration of the Way (Dao) of the ancient sages. His teaching was therefore related mainly to society and its government. He advocated strict conformity, and thought that fostering correct behavior, within the context of the family, would produce an ordered society. He was not particularly interested in religion, except insofar as it related to social life.
Confucianism is a moral and religious system of China. Its origins go back to the Analects, the sayings attributed to Confucius, and to ancient writings, including that of Mencius. Confucius was born a mandarin under the name Kongzi. It was developed around 550 B.C. In its earliest form Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical concepts for the control of society. It saw man as a social creature that is bound to his fellow men by jen, or “humanity.” Jen is expressed through the five relationships—sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Of these, the filial relation is most important.
Confucius wanted people to be the best that they can be. Because of this idea, Confucius thought that people should one get power when they were good and skilled, and not because they came from powerful families that make up the dynasties. In the Ta Hsueh, Confucius talks about how people should act towards one another. I quote, “Thus, where the man of mean character takes his delight only in his own delights and his profit only from what profits himself, the man of noble character honors those of honorable worth and treats as kin those of kindred spirit around him” (Plaks and Yao 2003, 9). Confucius wanted people to think about other people more than, about what they owned. He wanted to build a community in the Zhou dynasty. He always wanted the best for people and that everyone should work hard to achieve their
Confucius, and Miles Menander Dawson. The Basic Thoughts of Confucius; the Conduct of Life. New York: Garden City Pub., 1939.
In the author’s book dealing with virtue he makes an astute observation regarding the need for restraint in speech equally joined with a lack of restraint in action. Confucius relates his good judgment in the following statement: “The men of old were reserved in speech out of shame lest they should come short in deed.” (Confucius p. 20) Confucius’s declaration seems to stem from possible past experiences with too much talk and too little action. His declarations lead one to believe that the more traditional and conservative ways tend to pilot one to the ideal standard of life. He reemphasized his point when he said, “The wise man desires to be slow to speak but quick to act.” (Confucius, p. 20)
“Confucius saw five relationships as the basis of society: between ruler and subject; between father and son; between husband and wife; between elder brother and younger brother; and between friend and friend.” His teachings went on for generations after he passed away. Mencicus and Xunzi were the main two followers to spread his ideas all over. They offered advice to rulers on his thoughts. They tried to tell them that people would like best a benevolent government. This government would ease tax burdens, improve the people, and also men who volunteered to serve an unworthy ruler earned his
Philip J. Ivanhoe. Confucian moral self cultivation. New York : P. Lang, vol. 3, 1993.
As we discussed in class, the founder of Confucianism was Confucius (Kung Fu-Tsu) developed at the end of the Zhou/Warring States era. The key concepts of the Confucianism are education, the gentleman, the family and five relationships— ruler/subject, father/son, older/younger brother, husband/wife and friend/friend. Confucius emphasized the importance of harmony, order, and obedience and believed that the five basic relationships are what all of society would be. Ruler/subject relationship advocated the ruler had the responsibility to take care of his subjects, and subjects must obey the emperor. Father/son relationship promoted the father needed to take car...
Confucianism is the belief that family relationships are the building blocks of society. We know Confucius, mostly from texts that date to the "Warring States Period”.In his text, there is a strong belief on filial piety, which describes the relationship between children and their parents. Children should demonstrate devotion and dedication to their parents in all their endeavors starting from childhood through adulthood. One learns how to become an individual while still respecting others.As one grows up and starts to do things on their own they should at the same time still respect their elders no matter how old they get.There is a strong emphasis upon the role of family and its structure of society, which is about hierarchy, respect,and education; these are the three key beliefs. Confucius grew up during the
3. Allow for the fact that ethical questions do not always have a unique, faultless answer.
Confucius's life was a very simple man who was educated and saw life in a backwards approach than most people. The world was ever so lastly changing as China was going through the spring and autumn period where the Chinese government change...
The philosophy of Confucius is summed up as ren, which is the basis of all human relationships (Chang 3). Ren is the