Respond to any of my notes, the textbook or the videos in the “Chapter 4–Confucianism” section under Assignments. Or you can address one or more of the following questions:In your opinion, is Confucianism more of a religion or a philosophy? What are reasons for your answer.
Do any of the approaches of Mohism, the Realists or Confucianism seem similar to aspects of other religious traditions?
What are your thoughts about the teachings of Confucius? Why do you think his ideas became so dominant in China for over 2,000 years?
Minimum 125 word response is required.
Professor’s Notes:
We now turn to China, which like India, is an ancient civilization that has produced a number of different philosophies over time. The most prominent of these traditions are the teachings of Confucius.
* Confucius was born around 550 BCE, so he and the Buddha were alive at the same time, though they would never have met one another. Confucius was an eager student, and loved to learn about Chinese history. In his day, China was experiencing a down time. Rulers tended to be aggressive and unfair, morality was not important to many people, rival gangs fought for power. This distressed Confucius, who saw in Chinese history that there had been times when this had not been the case. So his goal came to be trying to reintroduce the teachings that in his mind, would make Chinese society function more smoothly, from the way rulers led to the way people treated one another.
* A general note on the founders of religions and how their followers are labelled. Often (though not always), religions come to be named after their respective “founder,” whether this is their actual name or their title. We see this with Confucius/ Confucianism, Buddha/Buddhism, Jesus Christ/ Christianity, Zoroaster/Zoroastrianism, etc…. I would suggest that most of these religious leaders did not plan to begin new religious traditions, but either to fulfill what was already being practiced in their faith communities or reintroduce old and forgotten ideas. These individuals tended to be very humble, and I personally think they would be embarrassed if they came back today and found that their message was being taught under their name! In the case of Confucius, he was always quick to tell his followers that he did not teach anything new, but that he was trying to revive ancient Chinese traditions.
* While Indian traditions speak of enlightenment, and western religions teach about heaven and heal, Chinese philosophies tend to not deal very much with what happens after we die. There was a tradition of ancestor worship in China…a sense that a deceased friend or relative was gone from this world but had moved on to another place where the gods were. If you continued to honor your deceased relative after death, by setting a plate of food out for them or burning incense, then they would advocate for you with the gods (and if you didn’t honor them, they would be less likely to help you out!). Confucius never condemned this practice, but he did want people to focus on this life and how people could live honorably toward one another.
* Since Confucius was primarily concerned with individuals and society behaving properly, with no real discussion of gods or an afterlife, it can be asked if this is more of a religion or a philosophy. You can consider this question as you review his teachings.
* Before exploring Confucianism, I will mention two other philosophies that were proposed around this same time. A 4th, Taoism, will be looked at in Chapter 5. All of these philosophies were reactions to the same lawlessness and chaos that concerned Confucius, with each of them trying to propose the best solution to this problem.
* The Realist school suggested that the best way to make sure people behaved in certain ways was through the legal system….in essence, by passing laws that encouraged good behavior and punished bad behavior. We still see remnants of this approach when new laws are passed today. While Confucius supported laws and punishments for misbehavior, he did not feel this approach went deep enough to fully change the person themselves. He agreed that a harsh punishment for a crime would deter most people from committing the crime, but they would do out of fear. He preferred teaching people in a way that they would see the benefits of proper behavior, and learn to act in the right way because it was the right thing to do. Confucius also saw a limit to the strength of the Realist approach. For instance, the government can pass laws that say who can be married to one another, but how do you pass a law that mandates that you treat your spouse with respect and dignity? Some things cannot be influenced by laws.
* Another approach was Mohism, introduced by the philosopher Mo Tzu. His approach was simple and straightforward and dealt with love….he suggested that if everyone acted out of love toward everyone else in the world, then only positive decisions would be made. Obviously, love and kindness toward everyone is a key part of all religious traditions….and this idea is a part of Confucian doctrine. However, Confucius was concerned that love alone could be misapplied if there were not additional guidelines attached to the idea. As some examples, at a personal level, you yourself may have experienced being “loved to death” by someone….a parent or significant other or friend who knows what is best for you and is determined to have you follow a certain path. However, you yourself know that what they want for you (out of love) is not what is truly best for you. On a wider scale, I also teach American History, and I am reminded of United States government policy toward Native Americans which included boarding schools where native children were forced to cut their hair, leave behind their tribal customs, were punished if they used their given names or used their native languages, etc. Horrible as this policy was, it was designed out of love with the stated hope to “kill the Indian and save the man.” So as mentioned above, Confucius was worried that one person’s idea of love might not actually be what was best for others.
* Confucius himself spent most of his life trying to get his ideas adopted by rulers, with the hope they would then pass these things down to their people. You can think of Confucius weaving an invisible blanket of guidelines for human behavior, so that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you will know how to behave. The 5 specific parts of his philosophy are:
* Jen—a kindness and love for others. While Confucius did not want to rely on love alone, central to his teaching is having a heart and concern for others. This is exemplified in his version of the Golden Rule, which we find in all religions in one form or another– “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.
* Chun-Tzu—this is a mature person that always seems to do the right thing, and handle themselves in an appropriate manner. No matter what situation they face, this person seems calm and collected. They can be firm but without being angry at others. As you go through life, Confucius encouraged his followers to have a superior person in mind and try to behave as they would. Within Christianity, I am reminded of the “WWJD”–What Would Jesus Do–movement that began in 1896 with a novel by Charles Sheldon. This idea reappears periodically when there are WWJD bracelets that people wear as a reminder to behave as Jesus would. I have also seen What Would Buddha Do buttons. Whether it is someone well known and popular, or someone that you yourself recognize as behaving in a positive way, the chun-tzu reminds you to always try to do the right thing.
* Li—this is propriety, or the proper way to do things. This consists of having respect for the elderly, trying to take the middle path in all things in life, and the 5 Constant Relationships. Confucius spoke often of the 5 Constant Relationships–Ruler/Subject, Husband/Wife, Parent/Child, Older sibling/Younger sibling, and Older Friend/Younger Friend. In his philosophy, the first person in each of these pairs had more responsibility in the relationship. However, all 10 had duties and responsibilities to one another. For instance, an older sibling should set a good example for younger brothers and sisters, while the younger kids should respect and obey their older brother or sister
* Te—power to rule. Confucius spoke much about rulers who abused their power. In his day, rulers took power by force or because they were born into royalty. They did not have to run for office, and could easily take advantage of their subjects. Confucius warned against this and encouraged rulers to be kind and just to their followers (since many rulers wanted to take full advantage of their power, this teaching is probably the one that held Confucius back the most from having his ideas adopted during his lifetime.
* Wen–the arts of peace. In keeping with his goal of having a society that functioned well and where people respected one another, Confucius urged governments to support the arts–things like classical music, beautiful pieces of art and architecture, and literature that promoted positive morals.
* During his lifetime, Confucius made little headway in having his ideas fully adopted, and when he died at age 72 he was likely quite disappointed that he had not seemed to make much of an impact. But after his death his ideas took off and became dominant in China until the early 1900’s. Under communism, Confucian ideas are slowly being reintegrated into education and society in general.