Date post: | 01-Dec-2014 |
Category: |
Spiritual |
Upload: | isabel-doctolero |
View: | 573 times |
Download: | 1 times |
Hello.
CONFUCIUS & CONFUCIANISM
WHO IS CONFUCIUS?
PHILOSOPHER
551 – 479 BC
ALL of religions use the
GOLDEN RULE
to summarize their ethical teachings.
Defined Chinese Society for the past 2000 years
LU
(Modern day Shandong Province)
Confucius felt he had a mission to
return China to its former glory, to
return to the 'Way' or Dao.
Dao -culture of self-cultivation and emphasis on the way of virtue
Confucianism is very much a philosophy for those living in society
Buddhism and Daoism stress withdrawing from the world to seek spiritual enlightenment.
He was never employed in any significant government post during his lifetime.
300 years after his death, Confucianism was adopted as China's state philosophy.
IRONIC
CONFUCIANISM’S
ADVOCACY
PROMOTES HARMONY AMIDST CHANGE
The embeddedness of each person in concentric circles of relationships and ethical
responsibilities
1.The importance of family (past,
present & future)
2. The function of a hierarchical
social system
3. The significance of
education
4. The role of government in
establishing a political bureaucracy
4 Key Elements of the
Confucian Worldview
Anthropocosmicthe great triad 1. heaven (a guiding force), 2. earth (nature),3. humans
Organic Holismthe universe is
seen as unified, interconnected,
and interpenetrating
Dynamic Vitalismbasis of the
underlying unity of reality which is
constituted
of ch’i, the material force of the
universe
Comprehensive Ethics humans are biological-historical-ethical beings who live in a universe of complex correspondences and relationships.
Essential Teachings
The main core of
Confucianism is humanism
It focuses on the
importance of life and all
that affects it such as the
family
It does not focus on the belief of the afterlife and of gods
Philosophies
Religion?
Ethical Code
"To devote oneself earnestly to one's duty to humanity, and while respecting the spirits, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom."
Agnostic who believed in spirits and the supernatural but was not interested in them
Built on the foundational
belief that man is basically good.
Teachings:*Morality*The importance of justice, sincerity and filial piety - the duty of every son to serve his parents.
ANALECTS
Five Classic
s
defined as "Utilitarianism" by John
Stuart Mills
Five Constants
(五常 )
Ren(仁 , being humane)
Best expressed by the golden rule or the ethic of reciprocity.
Political dimension: makes rulers take care of subjects
Yi 義 :upholding of
righteousness and the moral
disposition to do good.
Li 禮 :Following/respecting of etiquette and norms of daily life
Zhi 智 : “He who learns but
does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in
great danger.”Education is very important for him.
Xin 信 :Refers to keeping one’s word and being faithful to it. (not to gods, but to one’s words, tasks, etc.)
Four Virtues(五常 )
Zhong 忠 :One should be loyal to their superiors and vice versa.
Jie 節 :One must exercise self control.
Xiao 孝 :Children must respect their parents, but a child has a duty to dispute with his/her parents if necessary
Yi 義 :The same as the one in the five constants, which is the moral disposition to do good.
Yi 義 :The same as the one in the five constants, which is the moral disposition to do good.
Contributions of
Confusianism
Public policiesFamily codesRelationship ethicsEducationGovernment
Influenced the Chinese people to respect their
leaders and their leaders to
set a good example as
well
Explained humanity as ‘to love the people’ and
‘to love the masses extensively’
Development of everyone’s potential ability’
Filial Piety
Influenced the ‘Neo-Confucianism’ by Zhu-Xi
Bye.