Confucianism and Chinese Civilization:

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Confucianism and Chinese Civilization

• Collectivism, Familism, or Authoritarianism?

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Confucian canonical literature

• Original canons four books and five classics
• Analects (Lun Yu), words recorded by the pupils
• Spring and Autumn (Chun Qiu), contemporary
  history
• The Classic of Change (Yi Jing), a metaphysics
  understanding of the world
• The Book of Songs (Shi Jing), a collection of
  contemporary poems
• Later elaborations and commentaries hundreds of
  thousands books annotated during the Ming Dynasty
  (1368-1644)

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The Catalog of The Complete Collection of Four
Libraries (Ming Dynasty)
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Key Concepts

• Ren (benevolence) ?,two persons, i.e.
  interpersonal relations and the rules governing
  them,
• Five classic relationships father-son,
  ruler-subject, husband-wife, elder-younger
  brothers, friend-friend
• Yi (righteousness) ?,moralistic and abstract
• Yi Shi a subject or son sacrifice himself for
  the rule or the father
• Yi Nu a wife committing suicide when facing
  possible rape to show her absolute loyalty to her
  husband

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• Li (hierarchical order and rituals) ?,emphasis is
  on the obedience, filial piety, and loyalty on
  the inferior party, while ren on the superior
  party
• Zhi (knowledge wisdom) ?,learning became
  virtue, a divide between gentlemen and little
  men,
• The range of skills of learned men ?
  (calligraphy),? (Lute),? (chess),? (painting),
• Xin (truthful trustworthy) ?,Should a son lie
  to protect his unlawful father from state
  prosecution?

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Court music instrument found in a tomb of 433 BC

• Confucius If a man doesnt have benevolence,
  how can he have propriety (righteousness)? If a
  man doesnt have benevolence, how can he be in
  tune with the rites or music?

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The nature and influence of Confucianism

• Authoritarianism based on collectivist
  conception, as opposed to individualist
  conception
• Hierarchical structure one is born unequal to
  any others, one thus needs to know his/her place
  and behave accordingly, which lead to
• Status-consciousness, and role play in
  accordance to ones status
• Each play his/her role by behavioral codes would
  ensue harmony and well being

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The political dimension of Confucianism

• Belief in the born to be good human moral
  origins (the opposite of original sin)
• The relations between moral virtue/ education and
  crime/punishment by law. What was Confucius
  emphasis?
• The superiors duty to be virtuous and benevolent
  as a role model

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What if the ruler is less than virtuous?

• The concept of mandate of heaven
• Heaven as the source of ultimate virtue and the
  rulers power
• Revolution is to remove the mandate of heaven a
  dynasty is overthrown, if heaven is displeased by
  the rulers non-virtuous conducts
• Manifestation of heavens will natural condition
  and the societal moods
• The theoretical base for the dynastic circle
  and the acceptance of new ruler, even foreign
  invaders (Yuan and Qing)

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Civil Service Exams Institutionalization of a
Dominant Ideology

• The origins in earlier dynastic period for the
  purpose of strengthening bureaucratic central
  rule by curbing the influence of local
  aristocracy.
• The Song Dynasty turned it into the norm for
  selecting govt. officials.
• Three-tier exams county, province, capital, to
  obtain the Jinshi degree.
• Contents Confucian literature.
• Consequences wealth, Knowledge, and political
  power.
• Abolished in 1905 to give way to modern education
  system.

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Legalism as a political philosophy

• Belief in the born to be evil human nature
  pleasure/interest seeking, while avoiding
  labor/punishment (original sin?)
• The rulers responsibility to issue explicit laws
  to regulate human behavior
• Steep punishment to deter bad behavior laziness
  unlawfulness
• Hefty reward to encourage good behavior land or
  money for high productivity or military deeds
• The Qin rulers as legalist believers and
  practitioners