...Comparison between the Analects and Confessions Both St. Augustine’s Confessions and Confucius’s Analects are important teachings that have great influence on people around the world in the ancient time and nowadays. Both doctrines discuss ethical values of the society back in the time as we can find some similarities between the two. However, there are significant differences between Confucius and St. Augustine’s experiences and believes since they are living in different environment at time period. Their profound differences are the factors that contributed to shape the distinct cultures between the West and the East today. Confucius taught us to love others from the within the family to everyone else in the society. A man’s character was fostered from his role as a son in the family (Analects I, 2). He should be obedient to his parent, and to be respectful to his father’s way when he is living and even after death (I, 11). One of the differences between St. Augustine’s Confessions and Confucius’s Analects is the treatment of one within the family. A good son, according to Confucius, should always obey his parents, not complain, and stay reverent in any situations (IV, 18). His “never fail to comply” teachings was opposite to St. Augustine’s belief. In Confessions, St. Augustine admitted his parents expected in him a lot, and sacrificed for his future. Although his father was praised for providing St. Augustine financial support for his education even more than richer men...
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...Ethics and the Rituals: Examining the Esthetic Culture within Li Ye In Christopher Kwon A&I: Confucius and His Critics Professor Seungjoo Yoon November 21, 2014 Confucius remarks, “In referring time and again to observing ritual propriety (li), how could I just be talking about gifts of jade and silk? In referring time and again to making music (yue), how could I just be talking about bells and drums?” There is an implied intersection between arts and ethical morality in Confucian thoughts. The arts allow one, a particular student, to enrichment of self-cultivation, observance of the esthetic aspect of the ritual propriety, and the development of an artistic expression of the self- that is subject to ethical and moral questions; therefore, artistic work such as the traditional Chinese calligraphy (though not music) is an exhibition of Confucian moral quintessence that embody one’s character and the corporeality. The Analects place a great deal of importance on ritual propriety and the practice thereof. More specifically implicated within this context is the appreciation of arts such as music, poetry, and archery. To the extent to which Michael Nylan and Thomas Wilson elevate Confucius as the “Exalted King of Culture,” the cultural and artistic aspect of the rituals is significant in Confucianism. In defense of his fervent advocacy of the esthetic culture, Confucius refers to the Zhou Dynasty that “looked back to the Xia and Shang Dynasties,” and appraises it as “Such...
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...As for similarity, according to the Analects, thinking and studying attach both great importance. Thinking means we reflecting base on what we have learnt, especially from the ancient great figures. And studying means we absorb new knowledge and virtue. In Analects 2.15, the master tells two negative results in lacking either one of them when learning. This obviously shows they are both indispensable and interlocking. They play different role on learning. As long as people combine them and utilize them in moderate way, sī and xué can act as Complementarity. In Analects 15.31, the master did something extreme, which is to keep thinking without sleeping and eating, This certainly does not help facilitate learning. No matter from Analects 2.15, which puts sī and xué in theory or from Analects 15.31, which shows a practical application, both reflect we should weigh heavily in studying. Concerning difference, studying is an external way while thinking is an internal way. As the master says people would not born with knowledge (Analects 7.21). Studying is, without doubt, the prerequisite for learning. In Analects 7.1 the text shows the master stresses on tradition, the antiquity, respecting for the knowledge from ancient sages a lot. Thus having thorough studying is an overriding concern. As for thinking, it acts as catalytic, as well as facilitator for studying. We can liken the learning to a system, then studying is the input and thinking is the process. Having both of...
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...Confucius on Government Analysis Amel Al-kilany Confucius (551-479 BCE) is the Chinese philosopher who founded the system of philosophical and ethical teachings known as Confucianism. While he was best known as a philosopher, he was also an educator and a political figure. His goal was to form a society that returned to its roots by participating in old customs and traditions such as filial piety and ancestral worship to succeed. Confucius also recommended to several leaders that good government was only possible through good leaders, and harmony and justice were not possible without virtuous government. Although Confucius never wrote down his own philosophy, a majority of his teachings were preserved in the Analects by his followers who recorded...
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...1st paper- Social influences of the analects and Confucianism in the modern world Confucius and his teachings had contributed a lot to the Chinese philosophy and shaped the Chinese culture and society remarkably, especially in education and how people should behave themselves. With guidelines telling people what is acceptable, how to act like a nobleman and what is unethical, Confucianism shaped modern social norms in China, and its impact is also spreading to other countries that are beginning to practice Confucianism. The Analects was composed by Confucius’s student after his death to pass on his great teachings and completed in the Warring States period. It contained fundamental ideas and beliefs of Confucianism; across dynasties and generations, people have been implementing Confucian thoughts and the sayings from Analects as guidelines to their behaviors. In this paper, we will look at the meanings of several Analects’ passages, how they relate to Confucianism and what are their social significance to descendants. Perhaps one of the most famous sections from the Analects, the following saying from Analects of Confucius Book 1(Xue Er), verse 1 told us a little bit about how he thought about learning and how people should behave in certain circumstances: The Master said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure...
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...To compare and contrast Jesus Christ and Confucius Two different men, living half of century apart on different continents, representatives of distinctly unlike cultures, and yet their influence on world is so similar. Both men set the beginnings of new religions and new eras in their countries. The religions they founded, survived for two millenniums shaping ideologies not of a single country but of half of the world. Their names are very well known and influential even in modern world. These names belong to a Chinese philosopher Confucius and Jewish religious leader Jesus Christ. The two religions they founded are Confucianism and Christianity. Even though these religions dominated in very distant from each other parts of the World, many concepts of these religions may seem strangely alike. Both Confucius’ and Christ’s teachings pursue transcendence within humans and peace with other people, however their ideas of what it is to be human and how to achieve perfection differ drastically. Two great works of literature Analects and Bible express analogous ideas of Confucius and Christ about perfection of the self and treating others peacefully. Analects describe all the Confucius’ sayings as well as his actions communicating his idea of a perfect “gentleman” the ideal, each man should make his goal to be. New Testament is a collection of short stories describing short episodes from the life of Christ with morale lesson communicating the ideal behavior in each of them. We can...
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...In the last chapter, Song Liling, an Oriental(Chinese?) man, represents the Oriental Butterfly as a submissive feminine figure. It illustrates that the image of the delicate and obedient Butterfly is not only reproduced by the Occidental man but also the Oriental man. In Butterfly Lovers: A Tale of the Chinese Romeo and Juliet written by Fan Dai depicts that the representation of the Oriental woman with faithful and obedient characteristics is owing to Confucianism. In the novel, through the rhetorical question that “Confucius ha[s] three thousand students, but d[o] you(how to change is better) ever hear of any women among them” (Dai 19) to indicate the educational exclusion in the woman. Additionally, it emphasises that on the basis of Confucius’...
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...Kong Qui, better known as Confucius, was born in 551 B.C. in the Lu state of China . Know also as a philosopher and creator of Confucianism who focused on creating moral models of family and public interaction, and setting educational standards in early China. Confucius expounded a system of social and political philosophy which he conveyed to a group of his students. His teachings and sayings were later collected by his students written in a book known as the Analects. In The Analects, Confucius describes the ideal person or otherwise known as the perfect gentleman. He talks about what it takes to become the perfect gentleman. Confucius describes the perfect gentlemen of being moral, but what does he really mean by saying moral , how...
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...Nothing in the canon of early Confucians directly corresponds with the concept of a person.[1] Yet, the philosophical content of their works seems to commit Confucius and those who followed in his wake to various implications about persons. Three recent thinkers have been especially important in trying to specify the features of a Confucian theory of the person. Herbert Fingarettes’s Confucius: The Secular as Sacred is roughly of the same vintage as John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice, and while it is a much more slender volume, it has had within its sphere a similarly far-reaching influence.[2] In the wake of Fingarette’s work, two other important essays were produced in honor of Fingarette: “Rights-Bearing Individuals and Role-Bearing Persons,” by Henry Rosemont Jr., and “Reflections on the Confucian Self: A Response to Fingarette,” by Roger T. Ames.[3] Each of these thinkers sees Confucius as offering an alternative understanding to the received Cartesian view of the person. In each case, the Confucian stance on the person is interpreted as being overwhelmingly social as opposed to the western view, which is characterized as being impossibly individualistic. Against these three currents, I will argue here that the Confucian understanding of a person is not so alien to western understandings, and I will use the seminal piece by P.F. Strawson on persons to demonstrate this.[4] Since I will refer to it throughout the treatment of the other authors, I will begin by briefly specifying...
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...Confucius Tracy Chan Darlene O’Cadiz Dance 301-51: Cultural Diversity in Dance Section: 19100 “Don’t give a sword to a man who can’t dance” is a saying from a philosopher who lived more than 2000 years ago (Huang, 2013, p.1). This man is Confucius, he lived during the time of both Buddha and Socrates. His teachings have been studied throughout the centuries and has helped educate and guide people through life, even after his death (Chiang, 2004). Confucius stressed the importance of kind-heartedness and respectfulness towards others. He believed through the use of moral guidance and acts of kindness, society would better itself as a whole and the government would function more immaculately (Xu, 1993). He was a man who truly believed that people are born with compassion but a flawed society would corrupt it. Therefore, he lived his entire life trying to teach the younger generation the correct way to treat one another and showed them the true reward of being a gentle and thoughtful person. In the book Analects of Confucius, written by his students, it establishes how to treat one another and how to govern appropriately (Chiang, 2004). If there was a dance dedicated to Confucius, it would be meditation. Through meditation, a person can pray and chant his teachings and thus would hopefully inspire them to act honorably throughout life. With Confucius’s teaching on kindness and benevolence, it has helped shaped my own interpretation of a peaceful society, which might...
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...self-cultivation in their teachings. Their texts contained ethical and political reflections. The well-known Confucius emphasized that humans needed to practice lifelong self-cultivation to attain spontaneous and effortless ordering of a country in The Analects. However, another philosopher, Mozi, disagreed with the Confucius’ idea of self-cultivation. Mozi highlighted that people needed a superior leader to change and shape their behaviors in order to have a peaceful state. He showed little interest in self-cultivation. So, in my essay, I compared the different views of Confucius and Mozi about self-cultivation, which were based on presuppositions about human nature and the ideal practices of men. Which of the systems—self-cultivation or obeying one’s superior—was the primary goal for humans to accomplish in order to have an orderly state? Importantly, from my perspective, self-cultivation is important for individuals and the society at large in order to bring good changes to a state. First, what did Confucius think about human nature? Confucius did not talk about human nature in The Analects, but he believed that “by nature people are similar; they diverge as the result of practice” (The Analects,” 17.2). This quote shows Confucius believed that humans were different from each other because of their actions, behaviors, and attitudes, and not because of their nature. Therefore, Confucius did not focus on human nature, but on men’s daily routines practiced through self-cultivation in their...
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...Not a lot is known about the early life of Kong Qui, better known as Confucius directly translated as Master Kong. There is a thought that says Confucius descended from royalty in the Shang dynasty, but his family lost their power. He was born in 551 B.C. in a city called Chufu, during the Zhou Dynasty when China was not united as one, but separated in three other dynasties. Those kings would fight in order to gain and rule over the land, there was no peace after the kings took over the land. Confucius either wrote a collection of writings called The Analects, or his students wrote them after his passing, which contains his sayings. These writings do not contain anything based on religion because he just wanted to tell people how to be a...
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...His influence cannot be overstated. An itinerant teacher of the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. , Confucius rarely wrote down his thoughts. Unfortunately his teachings cannot be traced but it written in the Analects . It is considered the only reliable source. although the authorship of the Analects is usually attributed to Confucius , some believed they were written after his death by his student’s centuries later. The main purpose of the teachings was to bring order and stability to what Confucius correctly saw as chaotic society . In order to create a harmonious community, Confucius taught that all Chinese must act properly , obey their superiors , know their rightful place in society and, above all else, practice filial piety ( unquestioning obedience to the family elders). A man who lives according to Confucian standards is a chun-tzu or gentleman. Desirable attitudes such as good manners , education, moral righteousness , Confucius believed , could be found in any members of any class, and were not conferred by birth. Confucius had believed by which any low-born young man could obtain high office with ability and hard work. He also formulated important principles to be followed for every government official. The jen or benevolence and compassion, li or ritual and propriety, yi of righteousness...
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...In Matthew 7 Jesus teaches, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NKJV). This teaching of Jesus’s is commonly referred to as the Golden Rule of Christianity. Confucius’s statement in Book XII of The Analects, is strikingly similar to Jesus’s statement in Matthew 7. Confucius teaches, “Do not do to others what you would not like yourself” (1597). Through various similarities and differences between the statements of Jesus and Confucius, it is evident that both men seek to teach the world the same concept, but both men suggest different approaches to carry out their teachings. The concept that both men teach is that, people should expect to receive the same treatment...
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...Confucianism Religion in China Name Institution Course Date Confucianism comprises one of the religions of the world in China. The current China puts all efforts in a bid to see that the religion comes back and people start worshiping it. Confucianism termed as a religion, which used to exist in the 6th century BCE in China, and, which many Chinese loved to practice can come into practice again today by introducing it in schools as a subject. The religion finds its roots back after so many years not in practice. Many religious practices of the word have existed in china for so long and the Chinese respond to the traditions positively. The practices vary and the divergence of understanding increase. Confucianism named after the founder Confucius meant to unite the people of china. It got adopted as a rule to bring together the people of china. The exams set on Confucianism took only 24 to 72 hours and any male could sit for the exam. It existed from 600 to 1900 era. Under Confucianism, the humanists control the affair of the country and thus the lack of performance of the government becomes lack of performance of the Confucianism. Confucianism has helped revive businesses and lead to evolution of several achievements and thus the need for its revival. However, the idea to revive Confucianism has not gone quite well with some of the citizens in china and thus they have opted to resist it. The Christians do not see the form of religion as Godly and they decide to resist it no matter...
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