Confucianism Flashcards
Who was the most important/influential person in Chinese history?
Master Kong/Kong Zi/Confucius (No one in China was ever named Confucius)
What was Confucius/Master Kong’s early life like?
Hard work and Education; He had a terrible childhood; After his father died, him and his mother lived in poverty - He wandered the streets and begged for food to support his mother
Irony: You would expect him to be very family oriented, but instead, he thinks that his family is terrible; He died thinking he was a failure; The Analects were written by Confucius’ students after he died
He also abandoned his wife and children to become a guru when he married
What did Confucius believe in?
If families treat each other better, the world would be a better place; Government should be able to make families unite
What is the goal of Confucianism?
A peaceful and orderly society; Achieve a peaceful, harmonies society through families (opposite from daoism; similar to Legalism)
What is Confucianism about?
How people need to become better;
“The superior person does…”
What did Confucianists believe about humans?
That they are dumb, selfish, and cruel; Give them a chance of education - through education, people can be perfects/improve
What is the major text of Confucianism?
The Analects: A collection of books that are constructed with many different thoughts from Confucius and summarize them into themes; Written by students of Confucius after he died; Contains information about the importance of ren, filial piety, norms and practices of social interactions
What was true about education in Confucianism?
Confucius believed that everyone should have access to free education regardless of their social class; That everyone has the potential to learn and become a good person - Education is the key to unlock this potential; Education has a critical function for order; Schools taught language and history but no math and science; Cares about art, literature, things that create social societies
How is Family related in Confucianism
Families is supposed to be teaching their children how to behave well in society; Sometimes families are good and sometimes bad; Look to the ancients who’s going to remind you about the proper way to behave
Filial Piety
Respect and obedience that children own to their parents(Sacred); Respect for the elders
Relationships
Most important relationship a person has is with their parents, meaning that your parents are your responsibility and that you have to be respectful
Ren
General rule about how you should treat other humans / don’t do things to others what you don’t want them to do to you; Christian golden rule; Follow examples/look up to from your moral superiors
Te
Power / Moral Power; Ability to do things by the inspiration of your behaviors; It’s the responsibility of the ruler to be moral role models; Family needs to behave in a orderly fashion in the same way; Children refer to the Elders
Soft Power
The influence and attractiveness a country or culture can wield through its values, culture, and moral authority rather than through military or economic might
Mandate of Heaven
The gods choose the rightful ruler - this is why dynasties rise and fall (dynasty cycle); After golden age, ppl forget their way and become corrupted - need a new ruling families; Gods will let us know when to change (natural disasters); The idea that there could be only one legitimate ruler of China at a time, and that this ruler had the blessing of the gods
Cultivation
Process of personal development and moral growth
Wen
Arts of Peace; Cultural/intellectual refinement, artistic expression, literature, and its contribution to individual cultivation(personal growth) and social harmony; Doesn’t matter if economic advancement / military are strong, the ones who win are not the ones who has the strongest things, the winners are the ones that have the stronger cultures / wen
Wu
Martial/military; Represents physical prowess, military strategy, and ability to defend oneself/community; Associated with strength, courage, and discipline
How does Wen and Wu work together?
Wen is the foundation of a harmonious and ordered society while Wu is for maintaining order and protecting the society - They are complementary concepts (2 concepts that are seen as opposites but also interdependent and mutually reinforcing)
Position in society
Depends on your ability to handle natural disasters; If the government didn’t prepare, and people get destroyed, then the government gets blamed for it; Can rule as long as they can handle the job, if you can’t handle natural disasters then you need to be replaced
What are the central teachings of Confucianism?
People are corrupt by nature, but can become civilized/thesuperior/better person through education; Constant effort is important for success; Respect for family, elders, tradition, and government
Confucianism Hierarchy / 5 Key (Reciprocal) Relationships
- Father - Son (Parent - Child)
- Elder Sibling-Younger Sibling
- Husband-Wife
- Ruler-Subject
- Friend-Friend
What is the highest priority in Confucianism?
Family / parents - no matter what they do, you will respect them more than the government
Is Confucianism ethical?
Yes, it has very few absolutes; Everything depends on the context of the situation
Confucianist Moral Principles
5 Key Relationships
Father - Son (Parent - Child)
Most important relationship; They are your obligations and should be the ones that are teaching children their morals and be compassionate because they know the rules the best
Elder Sibling-Younger Sibling
2nd most important relationship; Can tell your parents if they do something bad; Gender does not matter in the present, however it did long ago, meaning the baby brother would be viewed as the eldest sibling even tho he’s born last - He has older sisters; Older siblings should be good role models
Husband - Wife
3rd most important relationship; Couples are supposed to be loyal to each other; If either family doesn’t approve, they’re not getting married; Value their children more than their well being
Ruler - Subject
4th most important relationship; If your friend cheated, you should report them to the teacher because they are considered related to the ruler in school
Friend - Friend
5th most important relationship
No relationship
Then defer to the general virtue of Ren - “do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you”
Is the key relationships more important than the laws?
Yes; In Confucianism, families are supposed to look out for each other before the law - Under certain situations, you should support your sibling even if you are doing a bad thing with them; Key relationship comes before ren
Confucianist Government
Examination System; Mandate of Heaven Te = Connect political power to moral character
Confucianist Economy
Farmers were the main support of their economy (importance of agriculture) - respected; Merchants should be unpopular but it’s true only in theory - Confucius thought merchants to be greedy and lead to social problems
Confucianist Spirituality
Deep respect for ancestors; Society is very conservative: Look to the past instead of the future for inspirations; Confucius did not deny the reality of gods and spirits. In fact, he advised people to participate in family and state rituals “as if the spirits were present”; When confucius was asked about the spirits he said “we cannot fully understand this life so how can we understand the one beyond”
Confucianist Art and Culture
Wen = Arts of Peace; High value on family ritual behavior; Poetry - The great poets: Do Fu (most imitated because the structure can be imitated)
- Created sonnets and wrote about things Confuscius would care about
- Chinese Shakespeare
Li Bo(Daoist) his poems are about partying
- Can’t imitate cause it seems totally random - He is considered better
