Tenets of Confucius

Confucius’s Timeline Zhou Dynasty: weak, war between states 600 BC 500 BC 400 BC 300 BC 221 BC 202 BC 220 AD Zhou Dynasty: weak, war between states Born 551 in Lu to poor noble family, educated, went into politics Travelled & studied art history, music, math, rituals, Died 479 370-290 BC: Mencius spread Confucius’s writings on nature of humans & Mandate of Heaven 200 BC 100 BC 1 AD 100 AD 200 AD Han Dynasty: Began to accept Confucianism

Confucius’s Ideas Society built on relationships Respect & Honor are key to relationship Each person has a duty to the other Superior & inferior in each relationship Creation of well- organized society Do what is good at all costs Education for all regardless of status Not spiritual

Five Basic Virtues Benevolence/Humanity (ren) Propriety (li) Righteousness (yi) Wisdom (zhi) Trustworthiness (xin)

Five Key Relationships father and son (filial piety) ruler and subject (Mandate of Heaven) elder brother and younger brother husband and wife friend and friend

Texts The Five Classics The Four Books Book of Poetry Book of History Book of Rites Book of Changes (Yijing, I Ching) Spring and Autumn Annals Analects Mencius Great Learning Doctrine of Man

Confucius Film Write down AT LEAST 10 moments in the film when characters relate to each other according to Confucius principles. This could be a quote, and action, or scene. You could relate it to virtues, relationships, etc.

WWCD: What would Confucius Do?

Alice is trying to decide how to vote Alice is trying to decide how to vote. One candidate is intelligent and well educated, but from a poor family. The other candidate is from a privileged background and is from a long line of politicians. The second candidate is well educated but may not be as talented as the first candidate. For whom would Confucius vote?

Ted is a successful businessman with a wife and two kids Ted is a successful businessman with a wife and two kids. His parents are getting old and need more care. He has two options: he can either allow them to move in with him and his family or move them into a nursing facility where they can receive full time care. If Confucius were in the same situation as Ted, what do you think he would do? Why?

The city government has been unsatisfactory for some time The city government has been unsatisfactory for some time. While the residents of the city used to like the mayor, lately they feel the major has not been very effective. City services, such as libraries and public transportation are not as reliable as they once were. City offices used to be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but now they are only open from 1:00-2:30 pm. City workers can often be seen eating in expensive restaurants, using taxpayers’ money to pay the bills. What would Confucius tell the residents of the city to do? Why?

Amanda has a chance to make some money on an idea that her friend shared with her. She could either tell everyone that it was her own idea and make a lot of money, or she could give credit to her friend but lose her chance to make a large profit. What do you think Confucius would tell her to do? Why?