5 ms·
Confucius was an authoritarian. There, I said it. There are other sources of Chinese wisdom.
by elevenfist 11y ago
Confucius was an authoritarian. There, I said it. There are other sources of Chinese wisdom.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- qntty 11y agoI'll take Lao Tzu over Confucius any day.
- eeeficus 11y agoI'll take Bruce Lee over Lao Tzu and Confucius any day.
- sn41 11y agoAmen to that. Lao Tzu is spiritual and gentle. Confucius sounds like an apologist for imperial servitude, giving a generous dose of quotidian platitudes. All this insistence on proper appearance, filial piety, and behaviour is an appalling appeal to conform. I never found anything subversive or insightful or spiritual in Confucius, but I do appreciate his sense of humour.
- im3w1l 11y ago> I never found anything subversive ... in Confucius What do you mean? Did you expect him to tell you to fight the power?
- ideonexus 11y agoWould you mind elaborating on this assertion, preferably using direct quotes from Confucius himself? It's true that Confucius focused a great deal on leadership and the hierarchical aspects of society, but I don't see how he was anymore authoritarian than Plato, whose Republic was much more authoritarian (see the film "Starship Troopers" if you want to see Plato's Republic in action). Confucius' philosophy survived 2,000 years in China because it focused on making leadership wise and just. In fact, for hundreds of years in China, anyone, no matter their background, could rise to leadership if they could demonstrate an understanding of Confucian philosophy. That seems pretty egalitarian to me.
- shas3 11y agoDid you even read the article? He quotes multiple philosophers and also only selectively quotes Confucius. His authoritarian ideas don't invalidate his other, good insights.