Confucius Essay Research Paper The history of

Confucius Essay, Research Paper

The history of Chinese civilization spans thousands of years and encompasses

countless ideas, beliefs, and societal and political doctrines. However, from a

modern standpoint one distinct perspective prevails above the rest in the manner

and degree it has influenced the development of China. For the previous 2,000

years the teachings of Confucius, and the systems of thought and behavior that

have evolved from them, have had significant effects on Chinese thought,

government institutions, literature and social customs. Confucianism has served

a primary role as a social and moral philosophy and as practiced by many,

especially in the educated upper classes, Confucianism had definite religious

dimensions. The teachings of Confucius served to unite a developing society,

binding together various aspects of civilization and culture into one coherent

body that functions under common values and attitudes. Confucius sought a type

of all encompassing unity for the world and for his people; his wisdom was

intended to serve as guide. In the Analects, a compendium of Confucian

teachings, Confucius said, ‘Be of unwavering good faith and love learning. Be

steadfast unto death in pursuit of the good Way. Do not enter a state which is

in peril, nor reside in one in which the people have rebelled. When the Way

prevails in the world, then show yourself. When it does not, then hide. When the

Way prevails in your own state, to be poor and obscure is a disgrace; but when

the Way does not prevail in your own state, to be rich and honored is a

disgrace.’ (Analects 4.5) This lesson serves well as a paradigm for Confucian

thought; it shows the direction that Confucius aspired toward, and the proper

methods for the journey. Before endeavoring to understand Confucianism and its

connection with China, it is necessary to develop and understanding of China in

the pre-Confucius era, in which this philosophy evolved. The most ancient

evidence of Chinese religious and social civilization dates back to the Shang

dynasty, circa 1500 B.C.E. In this early agricultural society, there is evidence

of some of the basic fundamentals of most Chinese religious thought; the

pursuit, establishment, maintenance and enjoyment of harmony in the earthly

world. During the Zhou dynasty (1122 – 771 B.C.E.), the path initiated by the

Shang was sustained and expanded upon. The Zhou quest for harmony and order led

to the development of some extremely crucial concepts that would directly effect

the development of Confucianism. It was in this era that the notion of Tian, the

force that can be best understood as heaven, first came to light. This later led

to the conception of the idea of the Mandate of Heaven (Tian-ming) from which

rulers derived all power and sense of legitimacy, due to the accordance of their

behaviors with the norms of morality and ritual correctness. In connection with

this, the relatively stable feudal society of Zhou era was responsible for the

emergence of the tao. This principal made cosmic order and harmony possible; the

tao can be thought of as the road or path from which come perfect unity, harmony

and order. This idea played a critical role in the development of Confucianism

and dramatically affected the course of Chinese development. In the eighth

century B.C.E., the Zhou dynasty began to fall apart as barbarous tribes invaded

from the west. This led to the disintegration of Zhou rule and the creation of a

number of contending smaller states hoping to re-unify China under a new

dynasty. This serious breach in the structure of society and the disharmony that

prevailed led to new movements of thought. The sages of this time felt strong

aspirations to find solutions to the numerous problems that surrounded them. It

probably is for this reason that the six-century B.C.E. was characterized by

distinct progress in Chinese thought, and became known as the age of the hundred

philosophers. Foremost in this era, Confucius was born. Kung Fu-tzu was the

given name of the great moral philosopher and teacher, Confucius is merely a

romanized version of this. He is thought to have been born in the principality

of Lu, in what is now Shantung Province, in Northeast China. This is the only

information about Confucius that is known to be unyielding fact; almost all of

the biographical information on this man is derived from the Life of Confucius

by the historian Szema Ch’ien. Nearly all the data contained in this book is

held to be accurate, being derived from dependable oral traditions. Confucius is

said to have embarked on his quest for knowledge, order and harmony in an effort

to dispel the conflict and dissension that existed in his time. Throughout his

life he would seek to bring about a return to the ancient values, through a

standardization of rituals, the creation of a system of rationalized feud

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