Philosophers began to flourish in China as education and literacy spread. Three of the greatest philosophers to emerge during this era were Confucius, Mencius, and Hsun-Tzu. Incidentally, Confucius thought of himself as a transmitter of old culture and not the creator of a new one. He appreciated the futility of speaking higher things to those who were below him. As a result, he was fond of consulting with his students as his peers despite his immense knowledge. Mencius and Hsun-Tzu borrowed heavily from his teachings. Expectedly, they had much in common concerning the teachings of Confucius. On the other hand, they disagreed on a number of fundamental teachings. This paper compares and contrasts the two philosophers’ approaches to Confucianism. In essence, the two philosophers disagree on human nature while they agree with the assertion that all human beings are capable of becoming sages. It is worth noting that Confucianism focuses on the human quest for perfection of moral character. While both Mencius and Hsun Tzu were avowed Confucians, the held opposing views concerning human nature. The two …show more content…
While Mencius argued for the goodness of man, Tzu held that men were inherently evil. On the other hand, the two philosophers’ ideas appear to converge on the idea of the possibility of man attaining the status of the sage through instruction, guidance, and the direction of the heart. In essence, both philosophers have consistent arguments that support their stances. They use real-life examples to demonstrate the support they have for their points of view. Their social and political thoughts converge when they argue for the importance of government in the lives of the people. Nevertheless, even though both Mencius and Tzu were avowed followers of the teachings of Confucius, Tzu appears to give a more robust defense of the doctrine than his compatriot
Confucius, founder of Confucianism and Lao Tzu father of Taoism are two of the most popular philosopher whose ideas are observed by many people around the world. While they contradict each other on their ideas, with a closer look they both talk about human thinking; human thinking in regards to everything and anything associated within the nature. Confucianism is based on human nature, associated with man’s everyday life, and social aspect. In the other hand, Taoism is more concentrated in the higher power, the universe and the spiritual world.
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.
Good and bad, two opposite terms that are used by people. ‘Good’ is known as morally excellent and ‘bad’ is known as being wicked or having an evil character. The ideas of good and bad are thought to be connected to human nature. Human nature is the characteristics, feelings, and behaviours of humankind that is shared by all humans. Because good and bad are two opposite terms and it is in human nature this has led to attempts to explain how both good and bad behaviours affect peoples’ daily life. The debate of on explanations of human’s good and bad behaviour still is ongoing nowadays. Two Chinese philosophers, Mencius (2016) and Hsun Tzu (1963) have relevant approaches to analysing this behaviour. Hsun Tzu focused on human
This essay will illustrate the history of Confucianism and the background of Master Kong (Confucius) in the early beginnings of the religion. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the common characteristic of Confucianism with other eastern religions, the contemporary issues it faces, and the interaction between the modern world and Confucianism. Also the paper list the nine most common text of literature used by the religion and it includes the role of women and the five bonds also known as the five great relationships.
Mencius believed that human nature is good. Every person is born instilled with four main virtues; Righteousness, Ritual property, Wisdom and Benevolence. These virtues will only develop fully if it is nurtured and put to effect appropriately. He also claimed that those who are not virtuous have been “corrupted by the environment” . He believes that “Individual effort was needed to cultivate oneself, but one’s natural tendencies were good to begin with.” In this way, Mencius has integrated elements of Taoism into his theory. Basically, people are born well with good intentions, but they must work to maintain their good nature.
According to the Tao Te Ching 3, Laozi said people should not be praise man’s wisdom to avoid arguments between peoples and should not think highly of goods to prevent theft. The reason why the world is in such a disarray is that people deem highly of the wisdom, scholarship, and the goods. Laozi doesn’t like class society based on people’s difference in terms of ability. He dreamed of a society without rank. He tried to make an equal society. Historically, the Analects of Confucius has been often mentioned when supporting the absolute monarchy in feudal system. Sometimes it has been used by high class in order to hide a social inconsistent as justifying social hierarchy. The difference between two texts is that philosopher Laozi doesn’t support class-society but Confucius accented the hierarchical order. However, the true value of Confucius idea is based on politics of human. In other words, he emphasized that leaders should restore their humanity to avoid society disruption. To be specific, he expected the society to follow this phrase: “Lord should behave like a lord and his retainers should remain faithful to
One of the oldest philosophies in Chinese history is Confucianism. At the time of the warring states, Confucius wandered throughout China seeking a ruler who accepted the Confucian way. Since then, his ideas grew and are still relevant today. Throughout time other philosophers, Mengzi and Xunzi, have interpreted Confucius’ teachings and have long debated whether human nature is good or bad. I argue that human nature is not, as Mengzi believes, inherently good, instead, completely self-interested.
Confucius is one of the first Chinese thinkers who addressed the conflict of political and social order. he was a strong willed man who often did not get along with others. He never realized his ambition to become a powerful minister. Confucius attracted numerous disciples who aspired to political careers. His thought was fundamentally moral, ethical, and political in character. He had his disciples study works of poetry and history made during the Zhou dynasty. He examined the book of Songs, book of History, the Book of Rites, and other works with his students. Literary works of the Zhou dynasty became the core texts of the traditional Chinese education because of Confucius’s influence. There were specific Confucian values indluding ren, li, and xiao. Individuals with ren were courteous, respectful, loyal, and diligent. He said ren is much needed for government
Philosophy can best be described as an abstract, scholarly discourse. According to the Greek, philosophia refers to ‘love of knowledge’. This is an aspect that has involved a great number of clever minds in the world’s history. They have sought to deal with issues surrounding the character of veracity and significantly exploring the endeavors to respond to these issues. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the philosophy of Aristotle with that of Confucius. This is with a clear concentration on the absolute functions of these philosophies and how they take care of the particular responsibility of a person and the broader society and the resultant effects on societies (Barnes, 1995).
Confucius (born 551 BC) is the most influential figure in the Chinese history. His thoughts and those of his followers laid the foundation, “the foundation is Confucian ethics” described by Fung Yu-Lan in A History of Chinese Philosophy. This is fundamentally different from the major civilizations in other parts of the world, where traditional religions have played more dominant roles in the course of development. “We are not religious because we are philosophical,” from A History of Chinese Philosophy, for example, death often plays mysterious roles in almost all forms of religions, but not in the mind of Confucius. When facing a question about the meaning
We have covered the general accounts of human nature found in Confucianism and Taoism in light of the historical backdrop of the Period of Warring States. Use your responses to the following general questions below as an opportunity to refer either to the Smith text and accompanying assigned scriptures(s), Smith video(s) on China, Confucianism, and Taoism, or any additional material covered in class. Look ahead to the next question on the chun tzu in order to plan on avoiding repetition of answers verbatim within each essay if there are areas of potential overlap.
In the world of Chinese philosophy, one cannot find better words than those spoken by Lao Tzu or Confucius. While they seem similar, they are indeed different in many ways.
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 and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
Xunzi is known as one of the most important exponents of Confucianism. He made great efforts to develop Confucianism and improve it with his own thoughts. In contrast, Mozi may have studied with followers of Confucius early in life, however, he went on to become a serious critic of the emerging Confucian tradition (Ivanhoe and Norden 55). Thus, there are plenty divergences between Mozi and Xunzi’s opinions. Their different views towards Tian is possibly the most fundamental one, because most of their views are based upon or related to their understanding of Tian. Mozi appeals to tian to solve the entire complex of problems (Hansen 121), while Xunzi rejects the normative authority of tian (Hansen 311).