“The spread of Confucianism across East Asia was accomplished largely through voluntary and consensual means, rather than by conquest o...
Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler. Confucianism. 3rd ed. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2009. Print.
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.
The concept of Confucianism has contributed immensely in the forming of Chinese character, behaviour and the way to live, with its main purpose being to achieve harmony which is considered the greatest social value. Confucianism firmly highlights the impression of mercy, social order and fulfilment of responsibilities. The effects of Confucianism had impacted both China and Japan to the extent that the changes are still noticeable to this day.
Religion is an interesting aspect in the Chinese context because of the part it played in history. Christianity did not spread as successfully in the East as it did in Europe and the isolated thoughts of the Chinese at the time. The fundamentals of Confucianism include and encourage humanities pursuit of knowledge and understanding of their self and...
Confucianism and democracy are two very complex concepts and the relation between them is a subject many scholars have discussed. In this essay, it will be shown what kind of relationship is more appropriate between these two ideas. It will be divided in two parts: the first part will take a look at the compatibility question of Confucianism and democracy and I will attempt to show how these two ideas are not contradictory and how Confucianism actually helps strengthen the concept of democracy. In the second part, I will discuss how such a relationship can work in practice by addressing the different institutional proposals of a democracy with Confucian characteristics to try and figure out which proposal is the most appropriate and why.
Confucianism, one of the most renowned Chinese ideologies, was begun by Confucius, a Chinese scholar born in 551 B.C. At the time of his birth, there was crisis and violence occurring in China. In order to combat this problem, Confucius came up with the five relationships. Following these “relationships” (ex. Ruler and subject, older brother and younger brother) would help to establish harmony between all. The majority of these relationships pertained to family matters, which went hand in hand with Confucius’s stressing of filial piety, or respect shown by children for their parents and elders. This single value led to many changes in people’s daily life and attitudes.
Confucianism is one of the major schools of thought in China. It developed from the teaching of Confucius. The principle of Confucianism is contained in nine ancient Chinese works handed down by Confucius and his followers. Later those works were divided into two groups as Th...
Confucianism is a religion derived from Daoism by the great Chinese sage Confucius (551–478 B.C.E.). It began as philosophical and ethical thought and was conceived in a society undergoing social turmoil. Confucianism is a newer religion that came to be around the same time as Buddhism. Its values and morals have had an enormous impact on the culture of many countries in Eastern Asia. All of Confucius’ teachings are recorded in the Analects, one of the four main texts of Confucianism. China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are only a handful of the countries that have been influenced by Confucianism. Personally, I come from a culture who does not practice Confucianism. However, its concepts, such as being respectful to your elders and mentoring your younger siblings were prevalent in my childhood. Studying this religion more in depth gives me a better understanding of the philosophy that my family embraces. Of the eight elements discussed in Molloy, the two that interest me the most in this context are ethics and the belief system.
Confucianism started off as a one man show, trying to make a difference in politics and in general, teaching people about morals and good human conduct. As history progressed, through changes of dynasties and different emperors, many new and different feelings about Confucianism emerged. But Confucius never changed what he believed in, no matter how many times his beliefs were rejected. He fought for what he new was right, and in the end didn’t achieve what he wanted to. But to everyone else, he was a brave man, a man who never gave up and a man whose legend is worth remembering.
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.
Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social, political, and religious teaching built up by Confucius on the ancient Chinese traditions, and still is the state religion down to the present day. Confucianism aims at making not just a man of virtue, but the man of learning and good manners. The perfect man must combine the qualities of a saint, a scholar, and gentleman. Confucianism is a religion without positive revelation with a minimum of dogmatic teachings.
This core concept of abandoning or modifying traditional Japanese culture was a daunting task for the Meiji reformers. These socioeconomic traditions were instilled in the Japanese people over generations, reinforced by the philosophical teachings of Confucius via the Shogunate, and practiced through strict punishment. The mention of Confucianism is particularly important because of the depth and value in which the Tokugawa Shogunate employed his teachings to their samurai. Further understanding the moral education provided through Confucianism becomes a key element to realizing the difficulties present in ...
Before venturing into the essay, however, I would like to consider where this religion originated, and the meanings for it’s existence as to better equip us to understand it’s views. Confucianism as a religion was founded by Confucius, a man. It involves no superior beings other than man himself, and deals specifically with the interactions between fellow men. It also specializes on the actions a government (King) should take for it’s people. The religion was founded by Confucian himself, he lived from 551 B.C.E. to approximately 479 B.C.E.. He was just a man with an opinion. His opinion sprung from his unhappiness with society and the fall it had taken from what it had been. It had changed to an empire where values were ignored, and the past was just that, the past. He foresaw a proud China with values restored, and humility made once again important. Confucian’s main ideas were to adapt the good things from the past to the technology of today. The “good things'; he speaks of are a government where the King is like a loving father to the people, where the King would protect his people and the people in turn would follow the King.
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...