confucianism Flashcards
what is filial piety
- a debt to your family (obedience, respect, having kids of your own)
- children have a strong devotion to their parents
what was the first chinese religion that westerners came into contact with
confucianism
how far do chinese religions go back?
about 17th cent. bc
who was Confucius? (571-479bc)
was not the founder of confucianism
- he was not successful as a ju
- everyone followed him and his teachings, especially after he died.
- some ppl consider him the founder of confucianism.
- real name was kung-fu tzu (means: master kung)
what are the analects?
ideas and sayings that C had. there were also stories about him. there is no philosophy, just things that C said and did. he isnt trying to prove anything.
who were C’s teachings meant for?
the elite
what was C’s view on gods?
he believed that there were gods, otherwise the rituals wouldnt matter, but he said to not get to involved with them. he did not often talk about gods or supernatural beings.
what was C’s view on the afterlife?
he thought that since we cant even figure out life, how can we asume to figure out death
did C believe in heaven?
although he didnt pay much attention to the afterlife, C did believe in heaven. he said that he believed in the mandate of heaven, and thought that heaven was the sky
what happened in the shang dynasty?
- lasted from (1600bc-1000bc)
- Confucianism was developed here
- was one of the “real” dynasties
- there was division of labour
- there was the practice of sacrifices
- this was considered the “ancestor generation”
what happened in the chou dynasty? (1000-200bc)
- they conquered the shang dynasty
- eventually the 100 provinces started to conquer each other until eventually the one large province conquered the chou dynasty
how was the chou dynasty set up?
- it was seen as a golden age (a time when ppl lived in harmony, and the government worked well)
- there were more than 100 provinces that were ruled by a feudal system (so not really ruled by the chou, but the govenors of the provinces did have to give money to the chou “contributig to the family’s pot)
- eventually the little provinces began to fight amongst each other and they conquered the chou dynasty
what did C’s life look like?
he was married at 19 with a son and a daughter
- at 27 he got a minor spot in the government
- in his mid fifties he was exiled so he went around advocating his views of government
- at 68 he became a coucelor of the lowest ranks at the lu, and still wasnt able to convince anyone about his idea of government
- so therefore when he died he considered himself a failure
what is ju?
- a lifestyle that is lived by a teacher of the dark- i mean liberal arts.
- ju are not in service to anyone
- they learn arts (archery and music)
- their goal is to find a patron who would support them
- they travel in order to find a patron
- the better you were the easier this was
- (C was never supported)
- but C became the true teaching of the ju eventually
what are the 2 ideal moral figures?
a sage or a gentleman (chun-tzu)
Sage
- mythical
- there are 2 types (yao and thun)
- they are completely perfect rulers
- had a perfect government
- they believed that as long as you have good virtue, you will be a good and true figure
gentleman (chun-tzu)
a goal that any regular person can reach
- wasnt about your bloodlines but about your character
- as long as you came into contact with an educated person, you could become a gentleman
- and be a law abider
- basically the ideal man of society
yao and shun
they are just the names of the 2 sages
- they were china’s great rulers
what is jen
- it means benevolence
- it is something that you either have or you dont
- it is the main virtue
- it is just goodness
- consists of chung and shu
chung
the active part of jen
-means doing ones best
shu
a part of jen
means “likening to oneself” which means putting yourself in another person’s shoes
who was mencius?
he was the “uncrowned emperor”
- his real name was meng-tzu
- hated universal love and egoism
what was Mencius’s relation to C?
- M was the next great person after C
- he was the disciple of C’s grandson
- he agrees with most of the teachings of C
- extended C’s ideas
- shares the value that C puts on Jen
- shares ideas of filial piety
- shares concern for good gov.
what was M’s view on human nature?
he believed that it was fundamentally good.
-said that ppl are born alike and it is what they do that makes them different
