Confucian Philosophy

Introduction to Confucian Philosophy
Historical Context
Confucianism, the way of life propagated by Confucius in the 6th–5th century BCE
and followed by the Chinese people for more than two millennia. Although
transformed over time, it is still the substance of learning, the source of values,
and the social code of the Chinese. Its influence has also extended to other
countries, particularly Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Confucianism, a Western term
that has no counterpart in Chinese, is a worldview, a social ethic, a political
ideology, a scholarly tradition, and a way of life.
Sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, Confucianism
may be understood as an all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails
ancestor reverence and a profound human-centered religiousness. East Asians
may profess themselves to be Shintōists, Daoists, Buddhists, Muslims, or
Christians, but by announcing their religious affiliations, seldom do they cease to
be Confucians.
Emergence as a philosophical context

The Development of Confucianism in Ancient China
Confucius spent most of his life traveling throughout China, teaching about the
importance of duty, ritual, and virtue. He taught that a ruler must set an example
to inspire people to strive for a moral life. Years after he died, students assembled
his teachings into a book, the Analects, and a new school of thought developed—
Confucianism. This philosophy deeply influenced China throughout most of its
history.
Confucian Philosophers
Confucius – or Kongfuzi, his original name is Kongqiu, his literary name is Zhongni
he was born on the 551 BCE, on the state of Lu now is called Shandong Province
in China, Confucius died on 479 BCE, he is China’s most famous teacher,
philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have profoundly influenced the
civilizations of China and the other East Asian Countries.
Ethical Teachings - Confucius' ethics basically asserts that filial piety and fraternal
love are the roots of humaneness, the foundation and origin of human morality;
all social goods are extensions of family ethics.
Key Philosophical Concepts
Ren (Benevolence) – Ren means “Co-humanity” or “humaneness” it’s the

Confucian virtue of the good quality of a virtuous human when reaching for
higher ideals or when being altruistic. It is a functional parental instinctual feelings
and intentions of encouragement and protection for their offspring or children. It
is considered the outward expression of Confucian ideals.
Li (Ritual)- It is also known as “Proper Conduct” or “Propriety”. It was originally
denoted court rites performed to sustain social and cosmic order. However, it was
reinterpreted to mean formal social roles and institutions that, in their view, the
ancients had abstracted from cosmic models to order communal life.
Xiao (Filial Piety)- it means the attitude of obedience, devotion, and care toward
one’s parents and elder family. Xiao consists in putting the needs of parents and
family elders over self, spouse, and children, deferring to parents’ judgment, and
observing toward them the prescribed behavioral proprieties
Confucianism’s Influence
Impact on Chinese ethics, politics, and education.
Ethics- The structure of Chinese society and its focus on rituals, familial respect
and obligation, worship of ancestors, and self-discipline, remains greatly
influenced by Confucius and his teachings.
Politics- Government and society in China were grounded in the Confucian
philosophy, which held that there was a basic order in the universe and a natural
harmony linking man, nature, and the cosmos (heaven); it also held that man was
by nature a social being, and that the natural order of the universe should be
reflected in human relations. The family unit was seen as the primary social unit;
relationships within the family were fundamental to all others and comprised
three of the "five relationships" that were the models for all others: sovereign-
subject; husband-wife; parent-child; elder brother-younger brother; friend-friend.
The virtue of filial piety, or devotion of the child to his parents, was the
foundation for all others. When extended to all human beings, it nurtured the
highest virtue, humaneness “ren” or the sense of relatedness to other persons.
Education- To him, education’s objective should be to teach all people without
discrimination towards rank or social status. That is, he advocated for education
for all. This Confucius view seems to have influenced the present Chinese policy
on free six years of primary schools and free three years of secondary schools. At
the university level, there are also Confucius scholarships that allow everyone to
study the Chinese language. For Confucius, learning is a lifelong effort that
involves aiming for moral excellence and becoming a virtuous person

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Introduction to Confucian Philosophy

Emergence as a philosophical context

Ren (Benevolence) – Ren means “Co-humanity” or “humaneness” it’s the

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