Confucianism

Its beginnings: Kung the Teacher; 551-479 BC Considered a philosopher, political mentor, and teacher Known for his wisdom Humble beginnings shaped his values Wrote down knowledge of the past and expectations of Chinese society Kung came slightly before the famous Greek philosophers and was widely revered and respected in China China culturally holds its teachers in particularly high esteem Kung’s father died when he was 8. He and his mother were left with nothing because Chinese laws dictated that women couldn’t inherit property and Kung was not old enough to do so. The Chinese government took everything from them and they both became beggars on the street. He did this until he came of age. As a young man, he was sitting out in the street begging when an old man sat down beside him. The old man was impressed with Kung’s mind, so he took Kung under his wing until he reached his early 20s. The old man taught Kung the ways of the mind and the soul. His writings were essentially a how-to manual for how to live well and get ahead

What is Confucianism? No god(s) lead this religion Ancestral worship very common The religion can be summed up with this idea: The only thing you have control over is this life that you have, so how do you live it as a morally good person? Think about the scene in Mulan with the ancestral worship. Family heritage is important, and you want to bring honor not only to yourself, but also your family. They have a “whatever will be will be” attitude towards ancestors and gods. Your actions don’t anger or please them, they just do what they want whenever. Confucius said that there are four principles of Confucianism and if you can master these, you will be a morally good person who has lived his life well.

Treat others as yourself in action and thought Principle #1: Jen Treat others as yourself in action and thought All of the other principles come back to this one. If you’ve mastered this, you’ve mastered all the others Our culture calls this the Golden Rule—treat others as you would like to be treated—but the difference here (and the really hard part) is that you must not only do good things to/for people but also think good things about people. Most of us have control over our actions, but we have difficulty controlling our thoughts. Every culture has a version of this philosophy Confucius thought that this may well be impossible. But he still thought that we should spend our lives trying to make it possible.

Principle #2: Li Do what is right in every situation Confucius also called this the Doctrine of the Mean The Doctrine of the Mean is the idea that we choose the middle road between the two extremes. We should not be greedy and glut ourselves on food, but we should also not starve ourselves and refuse food. The middle way is to eat what sustains us. That is what’s right. Li can be reduced to two basic parts: rules of proper interactions and Rules of proper relationships

Principle #2: Li Doing what is right extends to the words that we use. The words that come out of our mouths should reflect the truth in all things: An example would be names Confucius says we should never lie In America, the name of the child is often selected by the parents before the child is even born. The names then are not a reflection of anything about the child, but more so about his/her parents. The name is a lie about the essence of the child In China, the child is born and the parents live with the child for a while before selecting a name. This way the name reflects the true nature of the child.

Principle #2: Li Relationships: Father/Son: Loving/Reverential Husband/Wife: Good/Listening Ruler/Subject: Benevolent/Loyal Elder bro/Younger bro: Gentle/Respectful Old friend/Young friend: Considerate/Deferential China has very complex rules regarding social relationships/interactions; Confucius believed that a society must be organized in order to function properly, so he saw the rules and their implied hierarchy as a really good thing Confucius thought that as long as everyone acted in accordance with these rules of relationships, even women who have no rights would feel respected and valued in society. Age gives all things their worth and value in people, relationships, and government. The older the individual, the longer you’ve known them, or the longer the government has been around, the more respect it deserves. There are limits to your individuality because there are others around you. You must take them into consideration and act accordingly.

The moral disposition to do good Principle #3: Yi The moral disposition to do good This comes back to Jen: Don’t do or think bad things about other people You must consciously recognize the difference between good and bad and consciously choose that which is good; Even if doing what is good has a bad outcome, you should still do what is food. That is what is right If you constantly choose to do what is right, then doing right will become a habit

Principle #3: Yi Chun Tzu wrote the book I Ching He believed that personal relationships with people come before all things 5 virtues that come from within: Kindness Rectitude (honesty) Decorum (behave properly) Wisdom Sincerity We should emulate nature Chun Tzu thought of the Yin Yang of morality; His point in I Ching is that no action we do is going to be morally good for everyone. That’s why there are drops of black in the white and drops of white in the black. We must weigh the benefits of the good with the hazards of the bad and make a decision that will morally benefit the greatest number of people, not just ourselves. The five virtues are what every human is born with. Nature shows us how to use them, so we should emulate nature. Taoism actually uses yin yang symbol created, so stay tuned

The power by which men are ruled should be just Principle #4: Te The power by which men are ruled should be just Confucius thought that the most honest and moral of men should be rulers because the government’s role is to serve others and not itself. He lived in a time when the government was very corrupt and there were eight dynasties vying for power. Money and military might is what determined who was in power. His views made him very unpopular with the ruling class and many Chinese governments have outlawed Confucianism just because of Te

Principle #4: Te Confucius’ three secret ingredients for a good government: Economic sustainability Military strength to defend and protect its people Confidence of the people in the government that serves them

Taoism looks at what life is (realism) Most Chinese people practice both Taoism and Confucianism simultaneously: Taoism looks at what life is (realism) Confucianism looks at what life should be (idealism)