Confucius Contribut

ions
Prepared by: King Jay U. Balucon
Background of Confucius
• Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) was a Chinese philosopher who is considered one
of the most important and influential individuals in history. His teachings have
had a great impact on affecting the lives of humans not only in China but aroun
d the world. Born during a time of political and social turmoil, Confucius develo
ped a philosophy that came to be known as Confucianism and later gave rise to
another influential philosophy called Neo-Confucianism. His teachings dominat
ed Chinese thought and culture for many centuries; and still linger in today’s so
ciety. Among other things, Confucius laid emphasis on family, kinship, loyalty, ri
ghteousness, encouragement of humanity and strengthening social bonds. He
was the first in China to set up private academies for the rich and the poor alik
e. He is thus credited for positively impacting the education system in China by
making it focus on meritocracy rather than inherited status. Confucian philosop
hy is fundamental to the hugely influential Four Books and Five Classics. Know
more about the teachings of Confucius and their impact through his 10 major c
ontributions.
HE REVIVED THE GREAT MORAL TEACHINGS OF THE S
AGES OF THE PAST

• The cusp of Spring and Autumn period (770 – 476 BC) of Chinese his
tory during the reign of Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 256 BC) was a time of
political and social turmoil. Born in 551 BC and dejected with the de
generation and violence in society, Confucius took inspiration from t
he sages of the past and expounded teachings that would inspire ge
nerations to come. He considered himself to have re-transmitted th
e values of the great sages of the golden age of Zhou Dynasty centu
ries ago. Confucian teachings emerged among the leading philosop
hies of what is referred to as the “100 schools of thought“, a term us
ed for philosophies and schools that flourished from the 6th centur
y to 221 BC. Building upon the wisdom of ancient Chinese sages, Co
nfucius expounded a set of political and moral doctrines; and social
and political ethics based on family, kinship, loyalty, righteousness a
nd what may be termed as the fundamental ideas of humanity.
HE LAID THE FOUNDATION AND DEVELOPED THE INFL
UENTIAL PHILOSOPHY CONFUCIANISM

• The philosophy that developed from the teachings of Confucius came to be known as Confucian
ism. It became hugely influential and had a great impact on Chinese history. Some key points re
garding Confucianism are stated below:-
• i. Zi Gong (a disciple of Confucius) asked: “Is there any one word that could guide a person thro
ughout life?” The Master replied: “How about ‘shu’ [reciprocity]: never impose on others what
you would not choose for yourself?”. This is often referred as the silver or golden rule of Confuci
anism.
• ii. Confucianism is mostly indifferent to big metaphysical and physical mysteries but has a more
practical approach. As Confucius says, “We do not yet know how to serve man, how can we kno
w about serving the spirits? We don’t know yet about life, how can we know about death?“
• iii. It lays emphasis on belief in and encouragement of humanity.
• iv. It is more like a moral guide for different strata of society, government and its organizations.
• v. It is comfortable with hierarchy but values and respects each building block of society.
• vi. It encourages collectivism and strengthening social bonds.
• vii. It stresses on respect for family, age and tradition.
• viii. It focuses on education and meritocracy.
• ix. It believes on superiority of personal exemplification over explicit rules of behavior.
HE IS TRADITIONALLY CREDITED WITH HAVING AUTHORED
OR EDITED THE “FIVE CLASSICS”

• Although many modern scholars contest it, Confucius was traditionally credited with either authoring or editing
many ancient Chinese texts including the “Five Classics”. The five classics gained popularity during the Warring St
ates era (c. 475 – 221BC) but it was during the age of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) that they started to be
considered as a set. Considered as the golden age of ancient China, Han Dynasty adopted Confucianism as its of
cial ideology and the Five Classics were part of the state sponsored curriculum. The Five Classics, that in many wa
ys form the essence of Confucianism, are:-
• 1. Classic of History ( 書經 ) – Also known as the “Book of Documents”, this text is considered as the first narrativ
e history of ancient China. A compilation of 58 chapters, it details the events of ancient China. These documents
and speeches are alleged to have been written by rulers and ofcials of the early Zhou period and before. The bo
ok mentions the deeds of ancient sage kings Yao and Shun and also includes histories of Xia, Shang and Zhou dyn
asties. It is possibly the oldest Chinese narrative and may date from the 6th century B.C.
• 2. Classic of Poetry ( 詩經 ) – A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs; 105 festal songs, sung at cour
t ceremonies; and 40 hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house.
• 3. Classic of Rites ( 禮記 ) – Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies. Book of Rites is the found
ation of many ritual principles that arise in later imperial China. According to it, proper ritual conduct would mai
ntain harmony in the empire.
• 4. Classic of Changes ( 易經 ) – Also known as the I Ching or the Book of Changes; it contains a system of divinatio
n, which is centered largely on the principle of yin and yang. Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a questi
on or situation by way of an occultist and standardized process, or ritual.
• 5. Spring and Autumn Annals ( 春秋 ) – These are historical chronicles of the State of Lu, Confucius’s native state.
They imply condemnation of usurpation, murder, incest, etc.
HIS FIVE VIRTUES ARE AMONG CHINA’S MOST VALU
ED TRADITIONAL VIRTUES

• Though Confucianism is practiced as a religion by many, scholars

point out many dissimilarities vis-a-vie patterns observed among
other faiths. Confucian propagation and belief in humanistic ethi
cs in times of social and political upheaval must be appreciated.
Confucius taught five virtues a gentleman should practice every d
ay to live a healthy, harmonious life. They are among the most va
lued traditional virtues of China. They are:-
• 1. Ren, which means humaneness or benevolence.
• 2. Yi, which means righteousness and honesty.
• 3. Li, which means proper behavior and propriety.
• 4. Zhi, which means knowledge or wisdom.
• 5. Xin, which means sincerity and fidelity.
 HIS TEACHINGS INSPIRED NEO-CONFUCIANISM WHICH IMP
ACTED CHINA FOR ALMOST 6 CENTURIES

• Neo-Confucianism attempted to create a more rationalist form of Confucianism. The Song

Dynasty (960–1279) scholar Zhu Xi was the most influential figure of this philosophy. He str
eamlined Confucian education by compiling the Shisu (Four Books):-
• 1. Lunyu or Analects – Believed to have been written by the followers of Confucius, it is pri
marily a collection of his sayings and discourses.
• 2. Mengzi or Mencius – This basically is a collection of the conversations and anecdotes th
at Confucius had with fellow philosopher Mencius.
• 3. Da Xue or Great Learning – It primarily has chapters on achieving a state of balance. It e
mphasizes on the values of harmony, relationship and moral cultivation; importance of har
d work and collaboration; and the value of teachers and elders in Chinese society.
• 4. Zhong Yong or Centrality and Commonality – This 33 chapter book, focuses on the golde
n mean to gain perfect virtue.
• Zhu Xi wrote commentaries on these four books, reinterpreting them and using them as th
e foundation of his social, moral and political philosophy Neo-Confucianism. The Four Boo
ks were the basis of China’s civil service examinations from 1313 till 1905, when the exami
nations were abolished. The ideas of Neo-Confucianism were thus a towering influence on
China for almost 600 years.
CONFUCIUS POSITIVELY INFLUENCED THE EDUCATION SYST
EM OF HIS COUNTRY

• Confucius was an eminent scholar and a teacher thro

ughout his life. Under the Zhou Dynasty, in those tim
es, education was a prerogative of the nobility. Schoo
ling took place within government ofces and was dis
pensed by public ofcials. The aristocrats were traine
d in civil and military education based on the six arts:
archery, rites, music, arithmetic, charioting and calligr
aphy. Confucius was not in favor of this biased system
and was among the few who set up private academie
s for the rich and the poor alike. He famously said “M
y teachings are for everyone, without distinction“.
HIS POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY WAS A GUIDING LIGHT TO MA
NY FUTURE RULERS

• Confucius also had a great impact on Chinese political history. I

n Confucian thought the state is seen more as a tool to bring ou
t the best in people. Great emphasis is given to people’s faith in
their rulers and the rulers must keep working to maintain the fa
ith people have in them. The three requisites for the governme
nt are stated as thus in decreasing order of priority:-
• 1. Confidence of the people in their ruler
• 2. Sufciency of Food
• 3. Sufciency of Military Power
• Confucius also stresses on how people should govern themselv
es and how the society should work towards being harmonious
and virtuous.
CONFUCIUS SUCCESSFULLY PROPAGATED THE CONCEPT OF M
ERITOCRACY

• One major influence of Confucian teachings was the con

cept of meritocracy, where a person’s qualities determin
e his position in society rather than his inherited status.
These ideas led to the introduction of the Imperial Exam
ination System in China, which allowed anyone who had
passed it to become a Government Ofcer. Most scholar
s consider this as the first known example of administra
tive meritocracy, based on a civil service examination irr
espective of people’s birth or background. The ideas wo
uld be implemented almost two millennia later in coloni
al British India and later in other parts of the world.
HIS EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL HARMONY FORMS THE BASE OF C
HINESE SOCIETY

• Confucius laid a lot of emphasis on social harmony,

which to date forms the basis for Chinese society. C
onfucian thought says that every individual has a pla
ce in the social order and they need to be respected
for it. This respect has to be mutual, so while the wif
e has to respect her husband, the husband needs to
be benevolent towards her. The young must show re
spect for their elders; and they in turn must be kind
to them and guide them. The ruler must be responsi
ble and humane towards his subjects; and this must
be reciprocated with obedience towards the ruler.
HIS PHILOSOPHY IS AMONG THE THREE GREAT CHINESE TE
ACHINGS

• In China the term San Jiao (three teachings) can be traced back to the pro
minent scholars of sixth Century AD. It is a common term referring to phil
osophies of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism; which have had the gre
atest impact on the Chinese Civilization. Here are a few examples of how t
he teachings of Confucius still have a major influence in China. Confucius
advocated respect for elders, ancestors, family and the state; something t
hat may be observed even today in the amount of reverence for authority
and age in China. Confucian thought advocates “filial piety” or devotion t
owards parents. The family is still the primary unit of social organization i
n China and is valued and nurtured. Collectivism is inherent in Confucian t
hought. The Chinese are thus culturally adept to think in terms of collectiv
e responsibility to their family, community and nation at large. Influenced
by Confucianism, in Chinese culture, being an intellectual is not limited to
study alone. He/She should be successful in being a human and make use
of his/her ability to do well for the state, society and the world at large.