Confucian Thought/ Philosophy - Essay Example

Confucian Thought/ Philosophy Confucian Thought/ Philosophy The Chinese society and government was guided by the Confucian thought as far back as 2000 years ago. Confucius developed a philosophy based on ethical values that was used to guide daily live, and how rulers interacted with their people. In light of this, the paper will critically analyze Confucian thought. For a better analysis, the paper will be divided into three sections; the mandate of heaven, Ren, and the Junzi. Mandate of Heaven Confucius was the founder of the Confucianism beliefs which came to have a large impact on Chinese culture. This philosophical belief was based on the ideologies adopted by the Zhou, and Shang dynasties of china. Subsequently, it became very influential in china for more than 2000 years, making to be a significant philosophical belief. Confucianism reinforced the concept of the mandate of heaven to give legitimacy to the rulers of Chinese dynasties. Thus, this belief (the mandate of heaven) implied that heaven gave the rulers of china the right to rule only if they were good rulers (Chan, 1963). As such, the mandate of heaven gave legitimacy only to virtuous emperors. Those who were not virtuous lost the mandate and subsequently the right to rule the Chinese people. Therefore, kings who adopted a moral life, protected the people’s welfare and were just in their dealings were accorded the mandate of heaven. If they were unfit to be given the mandate, the emperors would be overthrown via revolts. Further, disasters such as famine, floods, drought, disease outbreaks or other natural disasters were viewed as a sign that heaven was not happy with the crop of the current leaders. This often led to revolts. An overthrow would then indicate that heaven was displeased with the ruler. Hence, the mandate of heaven justified the act of rebellion. However, the act became justified only if the revolt succeeded in overthrowing the emperor. The mandate of heaven is based on four basic tenets. First, the emperor’s right to rule was given by heaven (Chan, 1963). Second, the morality of the leader was the primary determinant of the right to rule. If a leader was unjust, immoral and treated his people badly, he lost the right to rule. Next, there can only be a single ruler since there is only one heaven. This signifies that the Chinese dynasty could not be ruled by two rulers at the same time. Lastly, any dynasty could have the mandate of heaven. Through these four principles, the mandate of heaven gave the Chinese emperors a religious significance, and supreme power. This made the emperor to be viewed as a son of heaven by the people. Also, these principles enabled any ruler to become the emperor if only the people believed he was just and moral. In light of this, it is vital to note that Confucianism primarily emphasized that it is only the leader who had the power to bring about peace in china. This belief thus reminded Confucian leaders of their roles and responsibilities. Even in the modern day china, the mandate of heaven continues to influence Chinese rulers and leaders. The belief is beneficial to the Chinese society since the fear of losing the right to rule forces or inspires Chinese leaders to rule justly and responsibly (Chan, 1963). The first application of the mandate of heaven can be traced back to 1600 BCE when the Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty. The Zhou emperor argued that the Shang leaders had lost the right to rule since they had become immoral and corrupt. The successful overthrow was also a clear sign that the Zhou rulers had the mandate of heaven. Ren Ren can be termed as the Confucian concept of kindheartedness (Ni, 2002). The term is derived from the act of human interaction. It signifies the importance of the interactions between human beings. According to Confucius, the term can have different meanings depending on the context. For instance, to be Ren can mean to be human. Also, it can mean to develop or be affectionate towards other people. The concept of Ren stated that a person has to be kind to everyone and not discriminate or be biased against others. Thus, he/she has to overcome his fears and bias, and subsequently be kind to both non relatives and relatives. The concept is made up of shu and zhong. The shu concept encourages a person to be in another’s shoes while zhong advocates for doing the best. Therefore, to be Ren under this context means to develop a viewpoint from the other person’s perspective (Ni, 2002). Additionally, the concept of Ren can be taken to mean love. Further, virtues such as tolerance, generosity and intelligence are often associated to Ren. Therefore, according to Confucius, the term Ren generally refers to kindness and human heartedness although he declined to give it a single definition. Rather, he defined it in relation to different contexts. The concept of Ren formed a central part of Confucius philosophy and thought. To achieve Ren according to Confucius, a person or individual has to take time and become morally upright, and become kind and loving to others. The concept was central to Confucian thought since the Confucian philosophy was based on the belief that human relations should reflect the universe’s natural order. Thus, human beings should strive to be virtuous, and consequently develop a sense of relatedness to each other (Godrej, 2011). The Confucian thought urged the state to develop its model based on the family structure. This ensured the state is related to its people. As such, the leader would act as the father while the people are his children. This ensured the concept of love and humaneness was maintained. Additionally, the mandate of heaven was affected Ren. With Ren, a ruler would rule his people responsibly by being just, fair and morally upright. A leader who did not care for his people lacked Ren. Without Ren, a leader lacked the mandate of heaven or the right to rule. Therefore, Ren was the most vital virtue of Confucian thought or philosophy (Ni, 2002). The concept encouraged people to be moral and try to do good. By doing good and being kind to others, a person would free himself from evil. It relied on the interaction of more than two people. For example, relationships between two people or relationships between the state and its people. From a political dimension, Ren discouraged leaders from treating their people inhumanely. An inhumane leader risks losing his right to rule since he has acted immorally. In conclusion, the concept of Ren guides the Confucian philosophy. The Junzi In Confucius philosophy, the term Junzi refers to a gentleman. Unlike the normal man, the Junzi transcends his own personal prejudices and opinions and acts in a cultured manner. Therefore, the Junzi is an illustration of the ideal person according to Confucius. Additionally, the term refers to a superior cultured man. Confucius came up with the concept to replace Shengren. This is because it was very difficult or rare to attain shengren status. Shengren is the Chinese equivalent of a saint. Therefore, Confucius developed the Junzi which can be easily achieved by man via moral training. The Junzi then became the second model of an ideal person after the shengren. Before Confucius’s definition, Junzi often referred to a lord’s son. Since Confucian thought adopts a moral perspective in all it teachings/ interpretations, the concept of the Junzi or ideal person/ gentleman plays a vital role in Confucian philosophy (Li, 2003). To become a Junzi, a person has to have Ren and be compassionate to others. Therefore, how people interact and deal with others determines if they can become Junzi or not. By becoming Junzi, a person influences the society positively. This is especially vital for leaders or rulers. If a leader is morally upright or is an ideal person, he influences his followers to be ideal people. On the contrary, if a leader is immoral, corrupt and unjust, his people will also adopt those traits. Hence, rulers and leaders according to Confucius thought should lead by example and become upright virtuous people. Thus, if the leaders display good, morally upright characteristics, the people also will become well cultured. According to Li (2003), to be a Confucian leader, a person has to be virtuous, moral and kind. This also gives him the mandate of heaven since the right to rule is based on the leader’s characteristics and how he treats or interacts with the people. Confucius states that it is difficult and challenging to become a Junzi. First, a person has to adopt the elements of Confucian ethics. These are Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, and Xin. Ren refers to a person’s humanness and kindness. Thus, a person has to be kind to others. Secondly, Yi refers to the act of being righteous. Third, Li demands that a person should behave properly under all contexts. Moreover, Zhi refers to gaining knowledge. Lastly, Xin refers to the idea of being trustworthy. By having and practising all these virtues, a person becomes a gentleman or a Junzi. Although the process of becoming a Junzi looks or sounds easy, Confucius stated that it is often very difficult and complex (Li, 2003). This illustrates that very few people in society can attain Junzi status. Conclusion The thought of Confucius follows the concept of Ren. All its beliefs and actions revolve around this concept. Ren refers to the act of being kind and loving to another person. As such, all leaders and rulers have to have these ethical virtues for them to possess the right to rule or the mandate of heaven. This implies that they have to treat their people justly, and morally. In addition, the concept of Ren helps to describe the ideal person (Junzi) in a society. The ideal person is always well cultured and his actions are often unbiased in all situations. References Chan, W. T. (1963). A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press Godrej, F. (2011). Cosmopolitan political thought: method, practice, discipline. Oxford University Press. Li, J. (2003). The core of Confucian learning. Ni, P. (2002). On Confucius. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Read More