Confucius (Kung Fu-tzu or Kung the Master) is highly revered in Chinese culture as the "First Teacher."
He is considered the supreme editor of Chinese culture, focusing it for 25 centuries.
Confucius was born around 551 B.C. in the principality of Lu (Shantung province).
His early life was modest due to his father's early death around the time Confucius was 3, leading to upbringing by his impoverished mother.
His humble background gave him a connection with the common people, influencing his democratic philosophy.
He excelled in studies, dedicating himself to learning from the age of fifteen: "On reaching the age of fifteen, I bent my mind to learning."
He worked as a tutor and gained a reputation for his qualities and wisdom, attracting disciples.
Confucius aimed for public office to implement his theories, believing they needed practical demonstration.
He famously stated, "Enrich them…Educate them," when asked about addressing population growth, expressing confidence in transforming society within three years if given the opportunity.
Confucius was considered too candid and upright for rulers to grant him significant power.
He tartly advised a ruler to govern himself before governing others, leading to his appointment to an honorary post without real authority, which he resigned in response.
At fifty, he felt a "divine mission" and spent thirteen years offering advice to rulers, seeking an opportunity to implement his ideas.
He refused an official position due to the official's involvement in a rebellion.
Confucius faced taunts and criticism for his persistent efforts to reform society, with some suggesting he pursue self-mastery instead.
Only a few disciples supported him through challenges.
Invited back to his state, he taught and edited classics for his last five years and died in 479 B.C. at seventy-two.
Despite being a political failure, he was a great teacher, instructing in history, poetry, government, propriety, mathematics, music, divination, and sports.
He taught Socratically through conversations and questions.
He interacted openly with students, presenting himself as a fellow learner, not a sage.
He emphasized the importance of redressing the social order, expecting much from his students.
He maintained a sense of humor and proportion, such as remarking that even an altruist would check if a man was actually in a well before helping.
While confident, he admitted mistakes and enjoyed socializing, dining, music, and drinking moderately.
He was affable, dignified, and democratic, championing common people and treating poorer students fairly.
He was exacting of himself, striving to become sage and humane, and valued integrity over power and wealth.
After his death, his disciples immediately glorified him, with Tzu Kung comparing him to the sun and the moon, impossible to surpass.
Confucius came to be regarded as the mentor and model for generations.
His ideas became ingrained in Chinese minds and influenced government, with knowledge of Confucian classics required for governmental offices.
There were attempts to elevate him to divinity.
His teachings, though seemingly commonplace, profoundly shaped Chinese civilization.
Examples of his sayings include:
Cherishing no resentment when unrecognized.
Do not do to others what you do not wish done to yourself.
Grieve that you do not know others, rather than that others do not know you.
Avoid quick results and small advantages.
Practice what you preach.
Find nothing wrong in your own heart.
Acknowledge what you know and what you do not.
To go too far is as bad as to fall short.
Emulate those of worth and examine your own character when you see someone unworthy.
Desire wealth and rank only if obtained in the right way.
Feel kindly toward everyone, but be intimate only with the virtuous.
The Problem Confucius Faced
Confucius addressed the problem of social anarchy, stemming from the collapse of the Chou Dynasty.
This situation paralleled the period of the Judges in Palestine, where everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Warfare degenerated from chivalry to unrestrained horror, reaching its peak after Confucius' death.
Mass slaughters and executions occurred, prompting the question: How can we prevent self-destruction?
With increasingly destructive weapons, this question has become globally relevant.
Confucianism's power lies in its response to the problem of social cohesion.
Before human society, instinct held packs and herds together, ensuring cooperation.
Humans lack this automatic social cohesion, being "the animal without instincts."
Early human societies relied on spontaneous tradition or "the cake of custom," where behaviors contributing to well-being were passed down unthinkingly.
Customs dictated behavior, such as dress codes, targeting those who transgressed convention as outsiders.
Tradition effectively curbed asocial acts; some tribes lacked even the concept of disobedience.
Socialization occurred spontaneously, without laws or intentional moral education.
In early China, custom and tradition maintained community cohesion; for example, a noble lady burned to death rather than violate convention.
However, individualism and self-consciousness emerged, challenging traditional norms.
People began questioning the reasons behind actions, asking: What's in it for me?
The old social mortar was failing, and individuals had broken the "cake of custom" beyond repair.
When tradition fails to unite society, human life faces a grave crisis.
The United States exemplifies this, having weakened immigrant traditions without providing a replacement.
The U.S. proposed reason as an alternative, but education has not prevented crime and social issues.
In ancient China, the Realists proposed force as the solution: Hit them.
They believed that people understand force and that only the threat of reprisal can keep them in line.
Laws with severe penalties were necessary to avoid universal violence.
The Realists' philosophy involved a system of "penalties and rewards" to enforce state commands.
Han Fei Tzu emphasized detailed laws and heavy penalties to prevent infractions.
The Realists had a low view of human nature, assuming that base impulses override noble ones.
They believed people are lazy and that goodness must be forced upon them.
They also judged people as short-sighted, needing rulers to envision the long-term good.
The Realists acknowledged the existence of nobler sentiments but doubted their sufficiency for maintaining order, pointing out the need for audits due to widespread dishonesty.
Mohism, after Mo Tzu, proposed universal love (chien ai) as the solution, advocating regarding others' states, houses, and persons as one's own.
Mo Tzu argued that love would prevent calamities and strifes, rejecting charges that it was sentimental and impractical.
Mo Tzu believed his position was backed by Shang Ti, a personal god who loves people and orders the world for their good, ensuring that love pays.
Confucius’ Answer
Confucius rejected both the Realists' force and the Mohists' love as solutions to social cohesion.
He found force clumsy and external, inadequate for inspiring day-to-day interactions, especially within the family, and unable to provide meaning and motivation.
He considered the Mohists' love utopian, agreeing with the Realists that it was flawed.
Confucius believed that love needed support from social structures and a collective ethos, as exclusive focus on love preaches ends without means.
Realists focused on laws and force.
Mohists focused on personal commitment.
In response to whether one should love their enemy, Confucius stated to answer hatred with justice and love with benevolence.
Confucius's disciple, Mencius, rejected Mo Tzu's call to