The Concept of Confucianism - Essay Example

Insert Questions The Chinese practiced ancestor veneration because they believed that ancestors had supernatural powers. For Confucianism, the role of ancestor veneration was based on the idea of showing filial piety. In this case, filial piety is the notion of being loyal to parents, as a child. Mozi criticized Confucius’ stand on ancestor worship and universalized ancestors as heaven-sent agents and rewarders of good and evil. So, Confucius and Mozi find ready agreement on the existence of ancestors. The only point of departure is that Mozi universalizes ancestors as agents of heaven. The wisdom of their recommendations is persuasive and should be treated in their own right. For instance, Confucius’ ideals foster respect for the values parents inculcated even after their demise, while Mozi’s ideas inculcate the need for virtue and the eschewing of vices. Question 2 Confucius believed that inner moral power was birthed by Heaven (tian 天), in the individual, and it was through this inner moral power that Heaven gave its decree and responded to. To Mozi, the ancestors were not merely ghosts but universal agents that had been sent by Heaven to punish evil or to reward good. These accounts are both important since Confucius stresses the importance of inward piety as being the determinant of outward action (and thereby opposing hypocrisy) while Mozi emphasizes the fact that bad or good behavior are punishable or rewarded, respectively. Question 3 In the Analects, Confucius deems himself as a transmitter who did not invent. He sees himself as the conduit through which religious values and discussions of elements of the afterlife and concepts of Heaven and spiritual matters would be maintained; and not the innovator of these values. Both modern history and traditional Chinese accounts present Confucius’ knowledge as influential and wide. The wideness of this knowledge is underscored by the fact that ancient China stressed on the four cardinal virtues chih, li, jen and yi. Confucius was not only knowledgeable, but had maintained these virtues. With all the expansive wealth of knowledge, Confucius remains meek enough to state that he is not the innovator, but the transmitter (Roberts, 56). Question 4 Confucius’ ideal world is one that is inward-reaching and looking. This is well underscored by the fact that he makes statements such as: a great army’s commander may be carried off, but the will of the common man, not; the inferior man is full of distress and oft-worried while the superior man, calm and at ease; and the inferior man makes demand on himself, and the superior man, of himself. Mozi’s moral teachings were proto-legalist: his heaven-delegated gods could neither be summoned, nor were their rewards or punishment escapable. These gods were not personal, but public. Question 5 According to Confucius, virtue comprised the five elements: Ren (benevolence and charity) Yi (uprightness and honesty), Zhai (knowledge), Li (correct behavior, manners, ceremony, piety and politeness) and Xin (the virtue of integrity and faithfulness. These traits are attainable. However, the postulation that if one is adherent of De, he will never be lonely but have many friends, is untenable in the present society where good manners are espoused to weakness. Likewise, ideally, Confucius’ standpoint is noble, but remains too impractical to be the foundation of a social system, given the weaknesses and base passions that inhere man. Question 6 Confucius thinks filial piety is so important since it was considered a necessary principle that governed intergenerational relations. Likewise, it was also believed that ancestors possessed supernatural powers. The term filial piety referred to the reverential servitude that children had for their parents, even after the parents’ demise. It relates to the rest of his ideas, particularly Ren since ren governed the way in which one was to deal with elders and grandparents. The most trenchant criticism of his view of filial piety would be that sometimes, elders, grandparents and parents who are to receive Ren, Xiao and Yi may not deserve to be extended these virtues. It is probable that he would answer this rebuttal by saying that elders, grandparents and parents form the metaphysical chain that links the living and the dead, the invisible and visible and are therefore to receive filial piety, regardless. Question 7 Confucius’s view of the relation of virtue and profit is that virtue had to supersede the accruing of profit. Thus, if profit was obtained through contravention of morality, then it was immoral. However, later on, Confucius later tended to depict profit as inherently immoral. This is seen in his adage, “The gentleman thinks of te (virtue), while the small person thinks of profit or comfort.” His view that profitability is to be governed by virtues is plausible, but the criminalization of profit is not. Mozi likewise somewhat sees profit as the origin of immorality since the robber visits violence upon others to profit himself. It seems as if Mozi’s ideas are a bit more profound given that he sees profitability as the source of immorality, as opposed to the rationale that profit in itself is negative. Another person may argue that profit is amoral. While this is true, lawlessness is greatly driven by the need for (quick) gain. Question 8 There are several instances in which Confucius leaves way for freedom. According to Roberts, for instance, he says that, “A man can enlarge the Way (Tao), but the Way cannot enlarge a man.” This affirms the freedom to pursue the Way, or not to. In this case, one cannot surmise that his ideas are oppressive. The emancipatory nature of his message is exemplified in the fact that he deems pursuing the Way as a matter of principal-most importance, yet he leaves it to human discretion and choice (75). Question 9 Confucius greatly supported rituals, since he thought that participating in rituals strengthened the bond within the human community and even the ancestors. It is against this backdrop that the oldest and most persistent Confucian ritual is ancestor worship. This is followed by worship and daily devotion in an individual Confucian adherent’s life. The strength of this idea is seen in the fact that participating in rituals creates we-feeling among members of the same community. The weakness of this standpoint is that there is no objective way of determining the link between the community (the visible) and the ancestors (the invisible). Question 10 Mozi criticizes Confucianism by pointing out Confucianism’s extravagance, particularly for its advocating for extravagant funerals which were accompanied by three year mourning periods. This in itself is compelling since the economic repercussions of these extravagant funerals may be staggering, if Confucius’ ideas are followed to the latter. His idea that ancestors are Heavenly agents who publicly administer justice (rewards and punishment) is also compellingly made. Were a Confucian were to respond to Mozi’s strongest arguments, he would probably argue that the seemingly protracted funeral programs are a salient part of ancestor veneration and filial piety and should therefore be respected. This is because filial piety fosters intergenerational relations. Question 11 As touching “impartial caring” Mozi argued that the main problem characterizing human ethics is the excess compassion and partiality, as opposed to a shortage in compassion. The need to desist from this partiality is based on the fact that it is the principal source of harm and that the family is the center of this partiality. This solution would be arrived at by re-evaluating behavior, and not attitudes or emotions. Mozi contended that the enforcement of the Golden Rule would establish impartiality and lead to caring. Question 12 Mozi argues that the chief problem affecting human ethics is the excess compassion and partiality, and not a shortage of compassion. Since the principal source of harm is partiality, there is need to avoid it. This solution would be arrived at by re-evaluating behavior, and not attitudes or emotions. Confucius on the contrary argues in favor of partiality, starting from family allegiance, to love so that the obligation decreases as it extends outwards. Nonetheless, an individual will still love commoners, but to a lesser degree and in a different manner. Both Mozi and Confucius are right in their postulation. For instance, it is a fact that love in the life of an individual extends from the family, those people he is well acquainted with, and extending outwards to a lesser degree. Likewise, the lucidity in Mozi’s standpoint is underscored by the fact that it is by partiality of parents that sibling rivalry persists and families are even torn apart. Thus, Mozi’s and Confucius’ differences may only be underpinned by the fact that they are looking at the concept of impartiality and partiality from different angles. Works Cited Roberts, Moss. Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004. Print Read More