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What has always impressed me about Confucius is how is philosophy has survived 2,000 years in China, and it is completely secular. It achieves the societal peac
by ideonexus 11y ago
What has always impressed me about Confucius is how is philosophy has survived 2,000 years in China, and it is completely secular. It achieves the societal peace religion usually makes claim to, but without the invisible man in the sky. For all its flaws, the Imperial Examination in China, which was series of exams on Neo-Confucian philosophy anyone could take to become certified to work at various levels in the state bureaucracy, was quite egalitarian [1].
But at the root of Confucianism is the idea of leading by example and through self-discipline. If you want to understand Confucianism, "The Great Learning" is where your studies should first begin. This is my favorite passage from that writing:
The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.
Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_examination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_examination
[2] http://mxplx.com/meme/2873/ http://mxplx.com/meme/2873/
- zhte415 11y ago> What has always impressed me about Confucius is how is philosophy has survived 2,000 years in China, and it is completely secular. Indeed, it has survived. As has Daoism. But they rarely co-exist, and instead are tools, or philosophies, of the current power. While neither Confucianism not Daoism are outrightly political, their use, and survival, has been. If an dynasty seek hierarchy and power structure, leader-follower, right/wrong system, they promote Confucianism (as is the current case in China, harmony-because-I-tell-you); when a dynasty promote liberalism (ironically, in the current case of government) Daoism is the go-to example or philosophy. There were other philosophies, but these 2 work reasonably well for most regime styles.
- otabdeveloper 11y ago> ...but without the invisible man in the sky. '天', "Heaven", is literally a pictogram of the 'invisible man in the sky'. The ancient Chinese were monotheist, and Confucius was no exception. Trying the fit modern norms over historical people and cultures that existed 3000 years ago silly, don't do that.