Confucius’ Analects – Filial Piety, Ren, and the Five Virtues

Authorship and Historical Context

• The text under discussion: Analects (论语).
  • Traditionally attributed to Confucius (Kong Fu-zi / 孔夫子).
  • Confucius’ lifetime placed in the 6^{th} century BCE.
  • The name “Confucius” is a Latinized hybrid of the surname Kong (孔) + the honorific “Master.”
  • Widely accepted that the Analects’ 20 books were compiled by Confucius’ closest disciples, preserving his authentic views.

Structure of the Analects Cited in Class

• Specific passages referenced:
  • Book 2, Chapter 5 (p.303).
  • Book 2, Chapter 7 (p.303).
  • Book 12, Chapters 2, 3, and 22.
  • Book 14, Chapter 13 (p.311).
• Each “Book–Chapter” unit functions as an aphorism or short dialogue, often requiring inter-textual reading for fuller meaning.

Key Moral Concept Ⅰ: Filial Piety (孝, Xiao)

• Definition & Scope
  • Central thread running through multiple books.
  • Combines ritual knowledge (knowing correct sacrifices) + behavioral attitudes toward parents.
• Book 2 • Chapter 5 (p.303)
  • Filial piety = “not being disobedient.”
  • Threefold duty:
  • Serve parents while alive.
  • Bury parents appropriately when they die.
  • Sacrifice to them after death.
• Book 2 • Chapter 7 (same page)
  • Emphasizes attitude of reverence (敬) during the above acts; mere performance of duties is insufficient without respectful mindset.
• Broader Significance
  • Establishes family as ethical training ground; loyalty to ruler later mirrors respect for parents.
  • Reinforces ritual continuity between living and ancestral realms.

Key Moral Concept Ⅱ: Perfect Virtue (仁, Ren) & the Five Virtues

• “Perfect virtue” (Ren) presented as holistic integration of thought, speech, and action.
• Modern commentator Mark Cixson Smigliani (UC Berkeley) extracts five component virtues from the Analects:
  1. Benevolence / Humaneness (仁)
  2. Righteousness / Justice (义)
  3. Ritual Propriety (礼)
  4. Wisdom (智)
  5. Trustworthiness (信)
• Relationship Schema
  • Individually cultivated virtues → collectively form “perfect virtue.”
  • Acting in accord with all five aligns one with ritual propriety and the good life.

Textual Illustrations of the Five Virtues

• Book 12 • Chapters 2 & 3
  • Benevolence: “Treat others as honored guests” & regard people “as attendants at a sacrifice.”
  • Speech Ethics: Exercise caution; link between language and moral character.
• Book 12 • Chapter 22
  • Benevolence further expanded: “Love everybody.”
  • Wisdom: “Know others, employ the upright, set aside the crooked.”
• Book 14 • Chapter 13 (p.311)
  • When tempted by profit, the virtuous person first contemplates righteousness rather than gain.
  • Demonstrates priority ordering: moral rightness > material benefit.

Practical & Ethical Implications

• Holistic Moral Agent: One cultivates inner attitudes (reverence, benevolence) alongside external rites.
• Decision-Making Template:
  • In any situation, ask which virtue is most salient (e.g., righteousness when facing profit).
  • Strive for balanced integration → “perfect virtue.”
• Continuity of Life & Death: Filial rites maintain moral obligations beyond physical existence, blurring temporal boundaries.
• Socio-Political Extension: Family virtues scale up to community and state, forming Confucian blueprint for harmonious society.

Connections to Broader Confucian Thought / Previous Lectures

• Mirrors Mencius’ later elaboration that human nature is good and cultivated through familial affection.
• Contrasts with Legalist emphasis on external law; Confucius grounds order in inner moral cultivation.
• Echoes earlier discussion on Ritual (礼) as both external form and internal sincerity.

Study Reminders

• Memorize the five virtues and their Chinese characters for quicker recall.
• Be able to cite at least one textual example (Book–Chapter–Page) for filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom.
• Reflect on how the Analects’ virtue ethics differs from Western rule-based frameworks (e.g., Kantian duty).