Confucianism is a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius. It explores and teaches a sense of doing what is right, serving their superiors diligently and loyally, and to display benevolence towards others. It also practices rituals and teaches morals on how we were created which are aspects that define a belief system to be a religion. Confucianism, in terms of relating to other countries, does not have a strong connection or relevance to the 21st Century Australian society in regards to the search for meaning. The only reason that our Australian society has for understanding Chinese culture is the need to understanding it when trading goods and supplies, which to some degree does not highly influence Australian society. …show more content…
Therefore, it is important that Australians develop their understanding of this tradition in order to collaborate better with their engagement with these societies. Confucianism effected Ancient China in many ways. Confucianism brought a steady nature into the country which had been effected in many ways from previous changeovers in dynasty's. But after being so consistent from the end of Ancient China and beyond shows how valued it is. Confucius believed that every person had their place in society, for example merchants were at the lower end of society because although they were some of the richest people, they didn’t endure the hard labour that farmers did. This was not only controversial but had a huge impact on society. He made another impact on society when he created one of the first schools in his region. It was a school for only boys where he taught them his own teachings and they learnt calligraphy. Many of these boys went on to be scholars. The religion made women subordinate to men, which is a common theme/issue that is seen all around the world in many different cultures these day. This didn’t completely stem from Confucianism but the teachings would have had this impact to some degree especially in …show more content…
What happens to us after death? What is our purpose in life?), Confucianism doesn’t actually explore the afterlife and that is why it is controversial as to whether it is a religion or not. But in terms of these big questions and what our purpose in life is, Confucianism teachings explored very wise, simple concepts such as “treat others the way you want to be treated”, or “If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself”. It is many teachings like these that gave Confucius followers a sense of meaning and purpose. When referring to the ‘Ten desires that dive us’, by Hugh Mackay, Confucianism fulfils many of these desires including, ‘the desire to be taken seriously’, Confucianism fulfils this in his teaching of “treat others the way you want to be treated”. The desire to connect is in nearly all of Confucius’ teaching because they all involve interacting with other people. The desire to be useful, because Confucianism gives you a purpose in everything you do. Confucianism fulfils so many desires and this, in a way can relate to not just Australian society but all of society. Large manufacturing and trading businesses would have to understand Chinese culture through doing business with their country which has a high relevance to 21st century
A key difference of the aboriginal culture and the Chinese culture is the difference in the foundation ideology of power system, especially the respect for elders. Confucianism, as part of Chinese defining culture, requires ‘filial piety’ meaning the
Confucianism teaches that each person should accept his or her role in society. According to document number five, Confucianism became the basis of order and respect in China. It was central in governing China. The teachings of Confucius were even studied for civil service exams. Essentially, Confucius believed that younger people should show respect and obey anyone who was older, so respect your
Confucianism has been a part of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. Many who have studied Confucianism would say that it is not a religion. It is better described as a philosophy or moral code. The philosophy of Confucianism comes mainly from the speeches and writings of Confucius, a great Chinese thinker and educator. He believed that Humanity, Rite, Neutrality, Virtue, Education, and Cultivation were the basis of human behavior. In addition, Confucius felt that this philosophy was the best way for people to behave and interact with others in society.
Confucianism is based upon the teaching of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. This idea focuses on bettering people and the society, educating people to be
Confucianism promotes a social hierarchy that is important to the stability of the society. It creates a social order that ensures that there is order and a hierarchy within society. So people respect the rank of the people above them, and
Confucianism in China had been a way of life, a state ideology as well as a combined philosophical, religious, and social system. Fundamentally, Confucianism focused on
Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the
The term “Confucianism” is often regarded as a complex mechanism of social, political, moral as well as religious beliefs that have considerable influence especially upon the civilizations belonging to the East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea along with Singapore and Vietnam. With reference to the observation made by Reid (1999), it can be viewed that a clear depiction about different principles and beliefs exists within the sphere of “Confucianism”. Therefore, the major purpose of this report is to briefly review of T. R. Reid’s book “Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West” through concisely unfolding the experience of
The religion of Confucianism begins, of course, with Confucius whose Chinese name was Kong Qui and who lived from 551 B.C. to 479 B.C. Surprisingly Confucius was merely a low level government worker. He did not exactly view himself as the founder of a school of thought. Regardless, Confucianism is the most influential belief system in Chinese culture. It provides the rules which govern the social behavior of the individual. The basic teachings of Confucius are grounded in the Five Constant Virtues: humanity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness. Confucius went on to define five basic human relations and
Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this
Confucianism was founded by the first Chinese thinker to address both the political and social order of things straightforwardly and self- consciously. Kong Fuzi, or Confucius in English, lived from 551-479 B.C.E., but his teachings did not reach their full potential during the his life of an educator and political advisor born into an aristocratic family. Confucius gathered many disciples to spread his beliefs that were rooted in moral, ethical, and political character. He didn’t address questions about religion because he believed they were above the human moral intelligence capacity, nor those regarding obscure, complicated philosophical questions because they would not help solve the problems of China. Confucius did not really even care about the state, but he did believe
In examining Confucianism, we find that it is a teaching of philosophy and not of theology, as it does not study a god or nature; rather, Confucianism is considered humanism and is a philosophy that is concerned with human beings (Pecorino, 2001). That said, adherents of Confucianism still revere both gods and nature. Confucianism’s teachings and philosophy influence other major religions through some of its guiding principles, namely those of moral and ethical value (Durham, n.d.). Confucianism is considered a system of ethics and addresses moral virtues, or xiao (Van Voorst, 2013). Its adherents are concerned with knowing the Tao, the universal force that unites and controls nature (Durham, n.d.).
When Western people think of Confucianism, they often think of it in a past sense- as something only relevant to ancient China that cannot be applied to modern day society. However, what these people fail to realize is that Confucianism’s roots have been so integrated into China’s society that the values have become a part of every day life. Without having to explicitly state that they are following specifics aspects of Confucianism, most Chinese people submit to them, often times unknowingly. However, Confucian values not only exist in the Chinese society, but also permeate into other areas of Chinese culture such as architecture and aspects of Feng-Shui.
In order to look at Confucianism and evaluate whether it has relevance in the modern era, one must look at the social, political/governmental, and economic aspects that it brings. When doing this, however, one has to be open and willing to account that the ideas of Confucius are present even when they do not seem as though they may be implemented or those persons do not feel that they possess them in a Confucian sense. In addition, you must approach this with the intent to merge ideas together. It is no surprise that philosophies adapt and develop overtime; therefore, one must admit that all societies correlate in some way to each other and to refute that this is true is to refute that both societies are erroneous.
Confucianism was orchestrated and created by Master Kong who was later named Confucius by missionaries from Jesuit when visiting China. Nevertheless, the basic principles of Confucianism preceded his birth during the Zhan Empire. During that time, the concepts of respect and the considerations for others flourished but there was as well emphasis given to spiritual concerns- specifically, the divine’s goodness and supremacy. Such concepts focused on uniting the people, establishing stability and monitoring rebellion against existing authorities.