Confucianism

Historical Background:

1. Confucius lived 551-479 BC, minor government official
2. He understood himself to be living through the decline of civilisation -- after the glorious and Hsia, Shang (c 1500 to 1100 BC) and Chou dynasties (c 1100 to 722) after 722 Chou fractures and weakens -- from 403-221 is Warring States period
3. positioned between strictness of Legalism and egalitarian/utilitarian Moism

Key Principles:

1. Man should live in harmony with the Way; Chinese tao, Japanese tō
2. key virtues is "humaneness" Chinese: ren, Japanese: jin
3. the goal is to be a "gentlemen." Chinese: shih, Japanses: shi. A gentleman is a member of the gentry who has mastered jin
4. jin must be manifested within five relations:
   1. parent and child
   2. lord and subject
   3. husband and wife
   4. elder brother and younger brother
   5. friends
5. in an ideal state law is virtual unnecessary -- the virtue of the ruler should be sufficient to instruct the people -- the ruler's proper conduct should make vice virtually unthinkable
6. metaphysics: Confucius himself critical of metaphysics, but commentators developed a metaphysical dimension
   1. lord is over subject just as heaven is over earth
   2. therefore the subject challenging the lord is contrary to nature and will lead to disaster
   3. bad human conduct, especially by ruler, leads to natural disasters
   4. heaven bestows a "mandate" on good rulers

Key Texts:

1. Four books
   1. Greater Learning: attributed to Confucius' grandson, Tzu Ssu (483 - 402 B.C.), or to his disciple Tseng Tzu; it is an extended gloss on one passage from the Book of Rites
   2. Doctrine of the Mean: attributed to Confucius' grandson, Tzu Ssu (483 - 402 B.C.)
   3. Mencius
   4. Analects of Confucius
2. Five (or six) classics
   1. Books of Changes: a book of divination, supposedly composed under the Chou dynasty
   2. Books of Odes: a collection of ancient poems from the Chou dynasty. It includes folk songs, love songs and ritual hymns
   3. Book of Rites: precise descriptions of Chou dynasty ritual. Compiled c. 100 BC
   4. Book of History: Only 58 of the original 100 chapters survive. Reportedly edited by Confucius
   5. Spring and Autumn Annals: supposedly the official records of the state of Lu between 722 and 481 BC. Reportedly edited by Confucius.
   6. Book of Music: no longer survives

   NB with exception of Spring and Autumn Annals all of the "classics" date from centuries before Confucius

Illustrative selections:

1. What is "Humaneness" (jin)? Analects 4:5; Analects 12:1
2. What are the five relations: Doctrine of the Mean 20
3. How does a lord rule? Analects 13:6; Analects 13:9; Analects 13:11; Analects 12:7
4. How does a "gentleman" behave? Analects 15:8; Analects 14:45
5. What is the Way? Greater Learning; Doctrine of the Mean