Western Vs Confucian Ethics

Ever since, I wondered whether this impression was correct. The goal of this thesis is to satisfy this curiosity and to determine, through textual and visual analyses, if the 1986 television series also carries a Confucian message, or whether it was solely produced for entertainment purposes. This leads to the following research question:

Ever since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been a cornerstone in Chinese culture. Established by the scholar Confucius, this belief system focused on achieving a "…perfect society in which all people devoted themselves to fulfilling their roles… (and) all wholeheartedly did what was expected of them." (PMEA, 32) This included all individuals knowing and enacting their responsibilities in order to create a world of harmony. During the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Confucian principles, were intertwined throughout the Chinese government, culture and everyday lives of subjects. Advancements made during this timeframe allowed Confucianism to develop and grow with the Chinese population, making this belief system a mainstay in Chinese society.

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

Confucianism does not promote the worship of any particular deity, but instead focuses more on a human’s behavior, especially pertaining to the importance of social relationships. The five basic relationships were created in order to establish that people of lower stature should respect and obey people of higher stature. Also that people of a higher status should set a good example for their subjects to follow. This was primarily set in effect to maintain social order, political stability, and harmony. The five key relationships are husband and wife, ruler and subject, father and son, sibling and younger sibling, and friend and friend. This key Confucian principle impacted both Japan and Korea in different ways. In Korea, Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism placed a high value on social relationships, especially regarding one’s family. This is

Have you ever had an argument with someone over the same idea because you both interpreted it differently? This has happened many times throughout history, leading to the existence of a variety of philosophies within different cultures. Many groups of people throughout history looked to traditional values and laws to create new ones. This was no different 3,000 years ago for the Jews or the Confucians. Confucians and Jews believed in the same values on relationships and acquired those values from similar philosophies, but they differed drastically in their interpretation of these values.

However, it did reveal his views on social, political, and ethical issues. Hsun-Tzu agreed with the basic foundation of Confucianism in regards to the virtues, the Five Relationships and the emphasis on filial piety. However, he could reconcile himself to the idea that men were inherently good. The virtues of Confucianism state that every human being should strive to possess: benevolence or altruism (seeking the good of others as part of one’s own good), ritual principles (following the proper rules and customs, regarding what one is doing), justice, loyalty, knowledge and filial piety (respect and obedience to one’s elders, especially one’s parents). The Five Relationships are a key used to indicate an individual’s place within society and which role a person must fulfill, in regards to the other humans’ roles. These relationships include: ruler over subject, father over son, husband over wife, elder brother over younger brother, and friend to friend as an egalitarian relationship.

Their philosophy was derived from their religious beliefs. Their God was not a removed entity that controlled the world but did not have a role in the life of the individual. Their God was everything and without him, there was nothing. God was salvation and eternal life. Their main reference was the Bible. It was studied extensively by Catholic theologians and, from it, created a central ethical system was developed. The Chinese on the other hand had an ethical system based on the individual. Confucianism was not a religion. It was not based on a deity and strict codes of conduct found in Catholic tradition did not exist. However, an overall sense of order was decidedly central to its philosophy. Virtue here was found introspectively, through thought and study. Another interesting facet of Confucianism was it’s veneration of ancestors, an extension of honoring one’s parents.

Confucianism is the value of ceremonies, "ritual propriety". The need to create meaning and value in completing a task or in understanding ones role in a society. The teachings of Confucianism are based around the structure of a society or a meaningful idea around the importance of ones culture. In my own religion, Hinduism, and in my culture, being Guyanese, the idea of obeying a parent and knowing ones place as well as caring for them when they get old is the same as in Confucianism. Sticking close to them and helping them in their old age is an idea held by the cultural understanding that my parents will grow old one day and will need someone to take care of them as they did for me. Although many westerners don't understand this idea due to the push for individualism, many cultures in Asia give meaning to life through helping the community or helping your family prosper. Hinduism focuses on the idea of building ones dharma and therefore your karma in which both are interlocked to help advance you up the latter of life to a higher being. This is different in comparison to Confucianism in which there is no central god or gods but there is still this idea of going up the latter of life through understanding your position in it and how you can follow these

Confucianism and Daoism are the most popular religions in the Chinese society. In short, Confucianism respects the virtues of love, good treatment of the other persons, respect for older people, and reverence of the family. Good manners remain the core of Confucianism religion as it mentioned in the Analects “what you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” On the other hand, Daoism, unlike Confucianism, does not consider the work as a priority. In order to reach a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, Daoism encourages its followers to practice meditation and solitude in fantasy and remote islands. It is against the civil aspects because it believes that those aspects play a crucial role on corrupting human beings.

A common theme in Chinese society that people exist through is that people are defined by their relationship with others. Their behavior is determined by particular moments in their lives. This basis of “different treatment” was also seen in the teaching of Confucius, which had five essential relationships within which one must sustain in his role requirements. These are father and son, ruler and minister, husband and wife, elder and younger, and brother and friends. Prevalence of these relationships is given to the father and son followed by the ruler and minister. When all parties honor their requirements in the social relationship, social order is sustained.

Confucian ethics focused on groups, humans living in communities and in societies advancing human culture and civilization in harmony and balance with each other. Taoist(Daoist) ethics focused on individuals separate lives and personal moral advancement in harmony and balance with nature. Both Confucian and Daoists focus on cultivation of Wen and virtue of Te-power without force. Both also focus on a kind of humility. In Confucianism this is Chun Tzu; in Daosim it is humility to nature and natural order. Both honor the past, tradition, and ancestors, and both have a concern for the future. However, the

Rather different from the other religions and philosophies of its time, Confucianism’s belief system was based around the idea of social order in everyday life. What Confucius believed to be true was the simple fact that ‘by nature, everyone is good’. And so, the idea went that everyone could maintain their goodness by learning to live with proper decorum. In order to live as such, however, Confucius decreed Five Proper Relationships to share with one’s fellow comrades. In no particular order, the Fine Relationships where as such: father to son, older brother to younger brother, husband to wide, ruler to subject, and friend level with friend. Of course, reversed genders, like mother to daughter and older sister to younger sister, were also applied. The way each relationship had been set up, is for the first person in the pair to set good examples for the second, accept, of course, in the friend level with

The paper discusses both the Confucian moral theory and virtue logic in broader perspectives. The Confucianism looks at moral thoughts as a broad aspect of morality in our society. This is the reason why Xinzhong Yao argues in his book that morality can only start with individuals. The author outlines Ren as one of the primary moral principles which help the individuals for self-establish thus also establish others. The Confucians hold a strong belief that morality is constant for everyone and that it is not one of the things a person can choose to do or not do. One of the founders of Confucianism is Mencius that poses some questions with regards to morality. He argues that everyone who is morally upright has ever experienced a force of

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.

How has the world changed in just one century? How has it changed in a decade? To say that we live in the same world today as we did 10 years or 100 years ago would be incorrect. In a matter of months or days our lives and society itself changes. Whether it be through new technology or political ideology, we experience a different way of life in a short period of time. Taking this into account, how do we continue to apply Confucianism to an ever-changing world? Are eastern countries still affected by these longstanding values present in the four books or have they shifted as well? If so, when did they start to differ?