Pros And Cons Of Confucianism

Confucianism first arose during the Warring States Period, from 551 to 479 BCE, and since then it has been a prevailing cultural tradition in East Asia. At the core of Confucianism lies a philosophy of timeliness. He sees each person as unique, and each life different. Additionally, Confucius introduces the theory of nature versus nurture in The Analects, but he emphasizes nurture due to the repeated mention of experience, learning, self-reflection and practice. These methods of education illustrate how humans are malleable and subject to change. One of the most significant works of Confucius is The Analects of Confucius. In the pages of the book, Confucius sought to transcend and civilize through: deep respect for rich cultural past, cultivation of person through Li, music, archery, charioteering, writing, and math, all aimed at developing moral character, not political skill. In the Analects of Confucius, Confucius tend to side with the view that humans are malleable and subject to socialization through means of experience, learning, self-reflecting, practicing, to demonstrate how humans are subject to change through education.

Firstly, Confucius emphasizes the role of experience in education to demonstrate how humans are subject to socialization and change

after they’ve seen, heard, and walked along side others. One of Confucius’ famous quotes regarding education recalls the three methods in which people may learn. He equates experience as the bitterest, imitation as the easiest, and reflection as the noblest. Confucius says, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” Experience is recognized as a method of learning wisdom showing its validity, and it is also shown to be the bitterest showing it strength. Another similar quote of Confucius which reinforced how experience can propel people to learn and then practice: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” The first part of the quote introduced experience as hearing and seeing. He said, “I hear” and “I see”. When one hears something, it can easily be forgotten, but when one sees something it will be remembered. This is the importance and significance of experience in human education and its role in shaping people’s minds. Experience is to be remembered and held onto for one’s entire life. Moreover, in The Analects of Confucius, his followers say that Confucius said: “When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.” (7.21) Confucius illustrates his belief in experience with an analogy that again sides with his belief that humans are malleable and subject to socialization. He experiences the two others qualities for himself, and learns from his experience which to follow and which not. This is a prime example of how experience is important in itself, in addition to its importance in learning.
In addition, Confucius repeatedly emphasizes the importance of learning and due self-reflection as an integral part of education to demonstrate how humans are subject to socialization and change. In many of Confucius’ quotes, he says learning and reflection is how people are able to change. From his novel The Analects of Confucius, he emphasizes how people are able to internalize what they’ve experienced in their lives, whether that be seeing or hearing, and then learn from those experiences. In Book Eight of The Analects he writes, “The Master said, 'It is not easy to find a man who has learned for three years without coming to be good.” (8.12) Confucius believes that when one has experienced and learned for a good amount of time, three years, one would be influenced by their teachings and thus change. Furthermore, he adds that learning is a way to “be good”, and this illustrates how Confucius sides with the nurturing aspect of human nature over just nature because he describes education with a positive connotation.
Another one of his famous quotes regarding education illustrates how humans learn: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” With this famous quote, Confucius introduces these three methods to learn wisdom in addition to their paired characteristics.

He says that learning or reflection, is one of the methods and is also the “noblest” demonstrating his belief in the power of education as well as its importance in human change. His belief in reflection and learning is not only important by itself, but significant in its power to influence one’s practices of their knowledge and

wisdom.

Finally, Confucius emphasizes the influence of practice as the third part of education in order to show how humans can be subject to socialization, through learning, and as a result change with practice. One of Confucius’ most famous saying regarding practicing what one has learned highlights the effects of practice over watching. He says, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” In the first third of the quote, Confucius introduces learning through hearing, in the second third seeing, and in the final third through practice. Human experience is valued by Confucius because unlike hearing and seeing, practicing leads to understanding: a fundamental principle of education. In The Analects of Confucius, it is written that the Master said: “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.” (17.2) In this quote, Confucius demonstrates how he tends to side with the view that humans are malleable and can be subject to socialization. In his words, Confucius uses “nature” to describe how men are nearly alike, however through practice men can grow, develop and change. This belief supports the claim that Confucius tend to side with the view that men are subject to socialization and change because he says that no man is alike after they’ve been educated with practice.
In closing, Confucius’ emphasis on the importance of education additionally impacts his role as a teacher. Moreover, Confucius’ role as a teacher is a critical aspect of his support in education: experience, learning, and practice. In one of his famous quotes, teaching is a form of learning, and Confucius is as eager to learn as he is to teach: “Confucius is driven by such eagerness to teach and learn that he forgets to eat, he enjoys himself so much that he forgets to worry and does not even realize that old age is on its way.” Confucius’ love of learning transitions to his love of teaching which illustrates his belief that education is how people are able to be subject to socialization and change.