The Foundation of Family and Friendship

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Confucius considered family ties to be the backbone of functioning societies. To continue the path of becoming an exemplary person (junzi) a person family is to model how they are and should be interacting with their communities. A family model is the bases of Chinese communities. In a family the father is at the top thus being making the boys of the family most important and the main focus of the parents. That’s made clear when the master states “As a younger brother and son, be filial piety (xiao) at home and deferential (di) in the community; be cautious in what you say and then make good on you word (xin). (pg 72 Book 1.6) You made it clear that it’s the son duty in the community and home to be involved with his family. This is also portrays the lack of involvement of women having a voice because the quote continues to say keep to your word but by not including the other gender it shows she never had a voice or word to begin with. Confucius stresses the point to revere your parents because they are the ones that gave you your start at life. They honor you as their child by bringing to life now you owe them a lifetime of honor to the family name. Aristotle proses the same argument as Confucius about the importance of friendships as he states that “friendship is a form of excellence. (Book VIII pg208)”. He takes it a step further by saying that a community should be on the base of a friendship (philia). Which then goes to speak on the family aspect as an ethical institute that capitalizes natural ties of kinship and love with meaning and value. Each relation you have with someone is a form of a friendship but the friendships forms are different in family ties. There are three types of friendships: (1) friendship built on utility...

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To complete my research I have determined that even though both philosophers are from different time periods and were traveling every very much, both had similar ideas. They both share ideals about government, friendships, and family roles. Each philosopher thought life was a long hallway on our way to the goal which is the end of our lives. Both had a way that they live their life so they could get the desire ends Aristotle’s was the concept of happiness and since it was the highest good also made it abundant. While Confucius is a long list of things you should have complete whenever you got the door key for my. The goal for these works was to figure out what is the best way for man to live and they answer it by doing moral acts, being involved in your local church or community. Aristotle and Confucius were more alike than they care to let on.

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