The birth of ‘New Confucianism’

What you know, you know; what you don’t know, you don’t know. This is true wisdom. - Confucius

Confucius (551-479 BCE) was a legendary teacher in China. Unlike many Western philosophers who minded their own business, Confucius vainly sought high political office to effect reforms in the government. He was born at a time the Zhou Dynasty was on the decline moving from stability to a warring state. He had certain similarities with Thales, Pythagoras and Heraclitus who lived in Greece. They all had sought constants in a world of change. Unlike his Greek counterparts, Confucius sought moral values that could transform rulers.

While most Western philosophers tried to inculcate moral values into the individual, Confucius expected the government to cultivate moral harmony in each person. He did not believe that people will change on their own unless the government forced them to be virtuous by threat of punishment. He is one the few philosophers who took such a stand to bring about a moral society.

Confucius abhorred hypocrites and called them “goody-goody thieves of virtue.” At the beginning he was a daring and radical educator who defied tradition. Although he failed as a political reformer, Confucius is considered a great teacher probably better than Socrates. Confucius and Socrates had many qualities in common. They were not after wealth or fame. Confucius said, “The people who live extravagantly are apt to be snobbish and the people who live simply are apt to be vulgar. I prefer the vulgar people to the snobs.”

Inspiration

Confucius looked to the past for inspiration. Being a conservative philosopher he had a great respect for rituals and ancestral worship. In fact the Zhou Dynasty was in favour of Confucianism. The rulers claimed that they had received authority from gods to govern the country. Although he did not belong to the social hierarchy, Confucius was a scholar who advised the rulers. However, he achieved the status through merit. He combined old ideals with meritocracy to mould his moral philosophy.

Modern scholars who try to understand Confucianism depend heavily on Analects, a collection of his writings and sayings compiled by his disciples. Although Analects was primarily a political treatise, it shows how a virtuous man could be made. Confucius did not rely on unseen gods to aid man, He used the term tian meaning ‘Heaven’ which he thought was the source of moral order. According to Christianity, man is a creation of God, but Confucius said Heaven has sent man to the world as an agent.

Virtue

Although Confucius’ moral philosophy was in line with traditional Chinese views, he did not believe that virtue was something Heaven-sent. He said every man had to cultivate virtue assiduously. He depended heavily on traditional Chinese values such as zhong (loyalty), xiao (filial piety), li (ritual propriety) and shu (reciprocity). According to him, a person who cultivated such values became a junzi or a superior man.

Confucius spoke of five constant relationships. In the first place, the rulers should be benevolent and the subjects should be loyal to them. This echoes the sentiments of a Greek philosopher who said countries should be governed by benevolent dictators. Secondly, parents should love their children and the latter should be obedient to the former. Thirdly, husbands should be good and fair in their dealings and wives should be understanding women. Fourthly, an elder brother should be gentle and the younger brother should be respectful. Finally, older friends should be considerate and younger friends should be reverential.

Golden rule

Confucius wanted people to be sincere to change society. To become a superior man he should recognise what he does not know. About a century later, the Greek philosopher Socrates also said that he did not know anything. A golden rule runs through Confucianism. It is “Do as you would be done by.” Centuries later Jesus Christ expressed similar sentiments. Like the Buddha, Confucius too prescribed what not to do to remain virtuous.

Confucius had little success in reforming the rulers. Dejected by the unwelcome attitude of the ruling fraternity, he concentrated on the teaching of philosophy to his pupils. One of his disciples Meng Zi anthologised his writings which later helped to revive Confucianism in the Han dynasty. From then on, Confucius’ ideas had a profound effect on society. Parallel to Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism also flourished in China. A Neo-Confucian School of Philosophy flourished in China from the ninth to 12th centuries. It spread to neighbouring countries such as Korea and Japan. With the translation of his books, Confucianism spread in Europe in the 17th century. Today the People’s Republic of China shows a keen interest in Confucianism. With the influence of Western philosophy a “New Confucianism” has come to stay in China.