Confucianism and Its Implications in Modern China

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Confucianism and Its Implications in Modern China

Confucianism is a time enduring philosophy that has stood up to invading clans, war, resentment, enforcement and infringement of new philosophies, and eventually, revival. For almost 80 years, up until the late 1970’s, Confucianism and its ideas and values have been all but wiped away from China. Though effort was made to remove Confucianism for good from China by the Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1949, the ideas and values were so deeply embedded into peoples mind and the culture that even suppression could not keep it out of the culture and practices. The main factor that has brought Confucianism back into the limelight in China and other East Asian countries is the recent development of economic growth and the possibilities behind why that has occurred. This is a topic that has brought about much dispute among scholars, that is, whether or not Confucianism has played any role in the progress of these countries, especially that of China. It is through the adaptation and re-institution of Confucian ideas and philosophies to that of the modern era that will develop China and create a better society, government, and economy allowing it to grow and prosper.

This is not an attempt to reinstate Confucianism as it once was, but rather the idea of Confucianism going through a modernization process in which one includes those parts that are helpful to society while removing those that are harmful to society. It is not the purpose of bringing back Confucianism as the main and only philosophy as it once was in Imperial China; but rather, the process of incorporating it with modern ideas and into modern context where it will be deemed beneficial to society. This is a re...

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Sen, Amartya. “Asian Values and Economic Growth.” World Culture Report. http://www.unesco.org/culture/worldreport/html_eng/wcrb12.htm December 3, 2000.

“The Three Accommidations.” The Straits Times, Singapore. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_ansset=GeHauKO-EZYRMsSEZYRUUARA June 22, 1997.

Tucker, Mary Evelyn. “Introduction to Confucian Spirituality.” Views of Japanese Confucianism: The Emergence of Ideology and the Eclipse of Spirituality. Http://www.gettysburg.edu/~dsommer/metucker.html December 3, 2000.

“What Taiwan Wants; Premier Lien on China, Trade and Confucianism.” Asiaweek. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_ansset=GeHauKO-EZYRMsSEZYRUUARA December 15, 1995.

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