The Confucian Tradition

When people talk about the economic rise of East Asia (Singapore to Japan) they refer to the Confucian tradition

The Zhou dynasty had conquered China in the middle of the 11th century
- about the year of 1050 before the common era
By the time of Confucius in the 6th and 5th centuries the Zhou had already lost control
- China was divided into congeries of contending feudal states
- Confucius lived in a time of great tension
In Confucius time, the old order was breaking down and traditions were being challeged

Confucius is believed to have been born in 551 before the Common Era and died in 479
- born in the middle of the 6th century and lived well into the 5th
- come from a family of impoverish nobility or people who had noble status but fallen on hard times

Confucius travelled from one small state to another, advising rulers of these states to rule in an ethical manner
- teaching of Confucius are contained in a book entitled the Analects
  - these aer selections of conversations with Confucius recorded by his followers

Confucius appears in the Analects as a scholar, teacher, moralist, someone who has a sense of responsibility for public service and who himself tried often to render that service
- willing to serve as an official of a ruler who would listen to him and act in accordance of what was right
Confucius teachings are concerned with the way people relate to one another in everyday life
- order in human interactions would lead to social harmony
Confucius deflects questions that are asked of him about having to do with what would be considered absolute knowledge
- wants people to live in the here and now, live their lives in the best way the can and not worry about the afterlife