Chinese philosophy Essay

Confucius was born in 551-479 BC. His father died while Confucius was three years old. He was raised in a poor single mother family, during a time of civil unrest in china. Confucius is thought to be the first teacher and the one of most influential Chinese philosophers. After his death his teachings became the basis for Confucianism. Confucius believed that we’re naturally good, but it needs to be learned. People have to learn how to â€Å"cultivate the good and throw out the bad. Anything that is worth learning is must be practiced. He thought very highly of education hence one of his sayings â€Å"enrich them educate them†. Confucius focused on relationships, they were very important and every type of relationship should function a certain way. Some people say the Confucius is very similar to Socrates. Two of the main concepts of jen and li are considered basis of Confucianism. Jen is what makes you human, the ability to care, goodness, giving and â€Å"man-to-man-ness†. acting in this manor is highly revered in Confucianism considered human perfection. One must Have moral and ethical respect for human life, treat others with humanity and having self-esteem for one’s self. He believes that jen can be learned. Everyone can be â€Å"perfected† and it needs to be learned. Jen is the foundation of all relationships and it applies to not just one race but to everyone. Li is a guide to human interaction also the general guide to social order and in your life. Li plays the role of higher rung of natural law. For jen to exist society needs to have order. People need to be open with one another. Every action has an effect on someone else, there are limits to individuality. Confucius wanted to order the entire way of life, you shouldn’t be left to guess because you don’t know how to behave. Confucianism has had a huge affect on East Asian society and thinking. China used the Confucian philosophy as the basis for government for 300 years. Then in 1912 the government decided that the philosophy was the reason for why there country was being held back. There was a time when the Chinese government sought to destroy the philosophy by burning all of the books. Of course there attempt were futile. Confucianism also became the basis for government in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. While Confucianism had a huge affect in East Asia I was unable to find anything about its affects on western culture. I like the idea of connectedness that Confucianism portrays. The idea that every action has an effect on some else is very true. I feel that in American society we have lost track of that, most of us are only out for ourselves because we are such an individualistic society. Confucius puts emphasis on the family unit; in fact more than half of his teachings about social relations pertain to families. I believe that a good family has a better chance at making better people. One possible negative is that In Confucianism there is a belief that relationships are more important than government law. Some people say that this can promote corruption and nepotism in the government. China has had these problems with their government. In Confucianism’s defense Singapore’s is considered one the the least corrupt countries on earth. I guess every philosophy isn’t perfect there are References China Confucianism: Life of Confucius, Influences, Development. (n. d. ). China Travel Agency with 24/7 Tour Service – TravelChinaGuide. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www. travelchinaguide. com/intro/religion/confucianism/ Exploring Chinese History :: Culture :: Philosophy :: Confucianism. (n. d. ). ibiblio – The Public’s Library and Digital Archive. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www. ibiblio. org/chinesehistory/contents/02cul/c04s04. html The Eastern Philosophy Blog: he Main Concepts of Confucianism. (n. d. ). The Eastern Philosophy Blog. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://eastern-philosophy-and-meditation. blogspot. com/2009/01/he-main-concepts-of-confucianism. html APA formatting by BibMe. org. going to be a few things that people will disagree on.