It is widely debatable whether humans are inherently good or evil. From the past, people had their own opinions on this topic, and the debate still goes on today. The Aphorism 17.2 “The Master said: By nature men are pretty much alike; it is learning and practice that set them apart.” from Confucius Analects conveys Confucius’s view of human nature. Confucianism was the most important philosophy of China throughout the history and it greatly influenced China. The relevance of Aphorism 17.2 to China’s many of history can be easily seen.
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
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says “The master said, there is a teaching, there are no divisions.” At his time, learning was the privilege of high class. There was no proper schools for common people back in his time. According to historical resources, Confucius taught everyone who is willing to learn. Before his death, he had more than 3000 disciples. Even though Confucius failed to convince any feudal lords to adapt his ideas, the disciples preserved the spirit of Confucianism which changed China forever later on. The Aphorism clearly demonstrates his belief about human nature and importance of education. Han dynasty, the first dynasty to adopt Confucianism ideas, established a form of public education system. “Not only elites from upper class families can study in school, common man can also use education as a path to become a better man, known as gentleman.” (Chun Tzu) The fact that the school taught both upper class families and common people shows the influence of the aphorism 17.2. Confucianism became the most important subject of education since Han dynasty. One aspect of China’s history that shows the influence of the Aphorism 17.2 is the Civil Service Examination. The Chinese government gave out the exam for those who wanted to be government official, and the top scorers would get the job. The candidates who passed the exam represented the most educated persons of the nation. The federal employees were considered the most important positions in the society. The government used education as a measure of finding best candidates for the important tasks rather than their social class or wealth. This clearly proves the influence of the Aphorism 17:2 on the Chinese history. Education and the civil service examination was the central policies of Song Dynasty, and they concentrated more power in the bureaucracy and less power among the aristocrats which caused the decline of the previous dynasty, Tang dynasty. As the result, Song dynasty was socially stable and they were able to flourish. The Civil Service Examination was continuously used until the birth of the republic of China in 20th century. The Civil Service Examination illustrates the influence of the Aphorism 17:2 on China’s history. Confucianism had many good effects on China, but also had many negative effects.
Another influence of the Aphorism on China is the education fever of China and many other Asian countries such as South Korea. The evidence of education fever can be traced back to the 7th century, or even earlier. Education fever is a serious social problem in China. The amount of money and energy spent on education by the people of China is becoming extreme. Most Chinese students study more than average American students, and many parents are willing to send their children to cram school for better academic performance. Many families spend considerable portion of their income into education bill, and some even go into debt. There are students who committed suicide because they failed to get into the highly renowned colleges that they hoped for. The importance of learning emphasized by Confucianism, which is related to the Aphorism 17:2, is one of the main cause of this obsession with education. The notion that the nature of men is decided by learning caused the prejudice that people without high education is lesser than those who have it. Companies tends only hire people with high
degrees. Confucius Analects contains key elements of the Confucianism which shaped China’s history and society. The aphorism 17.2 is relevant to the Civil Service Exam, and education fever in China. Confucius died more than 2000 years ago, but his legacies are still prominent in the world today.
In “Père du Halde: The Chinese Educational System”, (Document 3), Pere du Halde talks about the Chinese Education system. In the document, he says, “That boys should not learn is an improper thing; for if they do not learn in youth, what will they do when old?” This shows that the educational system in China was very hard and strict and the students learned a lot. Since the boys that were going to school were one day going to be men, those men were going to have to make many decisions for China. In order to make sure China was on the right path to great rulers and government workers, the schooling system was very prestigious and difficult. This is an example that China needed a good educational system so they would have strong, future rulers. In my opinion, the Chinese learning system was hard because everyone wanted to have great leaders and they knew that the students who were going to school were going to be future leaders. As it says in “Matteo Ricci: On Chinese Government”, (Document 5), “It may be said in praise of the Chinese that ordinarily they would prefer to die an honorable death rather than swear allegiance to a usurping monarch.” This is an example that the people of China wanted a strong ruler/rulers and would rather die than be ruled by a weak leader. The statement shows that all of China, not just government officers,...
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.
In a Man 's Nature is Evil, men are depicted as evil since birth. Hsün Tzu declares that "Man 's nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity" (Tzu 84). He speaks about how men are born with fondness for certain aspects of life such as profit, envy and beauty. Consequently, obtaining these aspects would lead to a life of violence, crime and recklessness. According to Tzu, men are born with a pleasure for profit. However, this need for riches will cause a man to have conflicts and altercations in his life. This is due to the fact that man will have such a great urge to obtain profit in life that he will go to all means necessary, including violence. Man is also born with envy and hate; it is not something he is taught. The internal struggle these two attributes have to offer will once
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
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...
...ut more importantly Mencius' core conception that human nature is also aware of its actions, and considers the well-being of others and that people are morally obligated to do so is also key to attaining our full potential. This conception of human nature and proper order together is what has shaped East Asian political and social thought for centuries. It is credited with creating an East Asia that is economically robust, and socially coherent and once again will be the center of human society in the decades to come. And contrary to popular Western belief, East Asian political thought does appreciate the necessity of the individual in defining society. In fact the only way to attain our human nature is to healthily self-cultivate ourselves morally and materially so we can reach our highest potential and in that way be a valued and contributing member to society.
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
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
Confucius, the founding philosopher of Confucianism, never explicitly details what he believes to be the inherent nature of humans. However, through his teachings and writings, his opinion can be understood to be that humans reach good nature, through self-cultivation and self-improvement. He believes that humans are improvable and teachable, but lack virtue. “Confucius
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.
The largest educational system is in china there is a law that makes it mandatory that all Chinese students have nine year of education experience this law was passed in 1986. The importance of having an education is the key to success to be comfortable and abl...
Although Botton’s goal is to prove Confucius matters in the contemporary society, this video still failed due to some incorrect and tough evidence. In the video, Botton states that Western people need some of the morals which Confucius gave in the ancient time because Confucius can help them solve troubles they face today (1:12). For instance, “Confucius believe the people were inherently good” (4:18). This moral, which is given by the author in the part of 5 constant virtues, is used to support the reason why the people should constantly develop their virtues. Although this part seems that it gives a strong explanation about why people should know more about Confucius and why Confucius’s opinions still apply to current situations, this moral,
Confucius is known for stressing that human nature is intrinsically good. He stresses that human beings are born with the ability for differentiating between wrong and right. A person may not be aware from infancy which acts are tolerable and which acts are not, but all offspring feel shame, and once the children learn which deeds are bad or good, they have a normal tendency to consent of the former and criticize of the latter (Van and Bryan 27).
"The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as every child should be instilled with the wish to learn."