A Concise Note on the Concepts of Ideal Societies - Essay Example

of the of the Assignment A Concise on the Concepts of Ideal Societies Introduction This paper is a comparative analysis of the concepts of ideal society as professed by Confucius and Mozi. Historically, Mozi and his philosophy known as Mohism have been interpreted as a Chinese school of thought that criticized Confucian philosophy on a number of occasions. On the other hand, many scholars like Ivanhoe and Bryan, etc. hold that Confucianism is the savior of Chinese culture. In this paper, the following question will be answered through a step by step analysis: Question 4:– Describe the ideal societies of Confucius and Mozi. What is it about them that make them ideal? Which is better, and why? Confucian ideal society The concept of ideal society from Confucian point of view is rather straight forward and simple. It is straight forward in the sense that it develops upon the older concepts of ideal society as used to exist in ancient China even before the advent of Confucian philosophy. Confucius developed his thesis upon the concepts like those of heaven and hell, gods and goddesses, nobility, divinity, etc. Also, Confucius did not take the risk of altering the pre-existing social strata; Confucius preferred to say that he was not giving anything new; he was just conveying what already existed in the sphere Chinese culture and legacy. But, Slingerland (35) notes, “Confucius felt anyone from any social class could potentially become a gentleman and that social status did not necessarily correspond to actual moral worth.” Of course, this is a humanistic approach where Confucius’s ideal society would be a place that would harbor the innate qualities of a human being irrespective of economical, political, ethnical, or even ethical stereotypes. Confucius stated that in an ideal society, trustworthiness (誠信) is most necessary to foster mutual support and strengthen social relationships (Slingerland, 15). A Confucian ideal society is not a Utopian concept and it is very much practicable because it neither relies on too much austerity nor necessitates lavish customs. According to Confucius, an appropriately generous person must give his needy peers the very right amount to fulfill their shortcomings – neither more nor less (Bonevac and Phillips, 40). Therefore, Confucius’s ideal society is based on dutiful and responsible behavior on the part of each and every member of the society, who will usher five major qualities of humanity: kindness, hard work, genuineness, generosity, and seriousness. All these virtues would culminate at Rén (仁). Western translators have interpreted Rén as the collective virtue of humanness or goodness (Bonevac and Phillips, 37-41). Ideal society of Mozi Mozi’s ideal society is based on some sort of societal awareness. To understand Mozi’s ideal society, one must keep in mind that Mozi was not born in a typical noble family. He was a skilled craftsman who was an expert in fortifications. Hence, the contemporary Chinese kingdoms (who used to remain engaged in almost regular warfare among them) needed technical experts like Mozi. So, Mozi managed to penetrate in the aristocratic world of the local rulers and warlords. But, Mozi interpreted contemporary Chinese society from the point of view of a common Chinese man. The result was that Mozi visualized the ideal society as a peaceful place where common people would be valued most. Mohist ideal society is based on a stable state that would be empowered by material prosperity and social order. Scholars like Ivanhoe and van Norden (60) define the aforementioned features of Mozi’s ideal society as a kind of state consequentialism. In the Mohist ideal society, an individual must be provided with enough food, clothing, and shelter. Instead of aiming at spiritual and moral well being, Mozi’s ideal society stresses on materialistic well being, rule of law, and avoidance of unnecessary warfare. Modern thinkers have praised Mohist philosophy as a heterodox but sensible school of thought. Even the leftist policy makers in today’s People’s Republic of China have identified Mohism as an early anti-war thesis. Mozi’s ideal society is poised to better use of science and technology and optimal resource allocation for public welfare instead of unnecessary warfare. (Yates, 549-554) What makes the society ideal? From Confucian point of view, pursuit of spiritual and ethical excellence will make the society an ideal one, where cultural purity and sincere ritualism would play a paramount role. The ideal society continues with the relatively older concepts of noble behavior and gallantry. To die in warfare is glorious death, and service to the society and nation is a supreme virtue. Confucian ideal society depends on humanistic behavior, and can be regarded as one of the earliest examples of a humane organization. From Mohist point of view, avoidance of warfare and assurance of a stable state that can provide its people adequately would eventually culminate at an ideal society. In Mohist ideal society, there is no place for something that is not serving the more useful purposes of social organization. According to Mozi, these useful purposes are law and order, collective prosperity, peace, and a thriving population (in Mozi’s time, scarcity of population was a problem in most of the Chinese kingdoms and counties). Hence, a society with the pursuit of material happiness and peace can be regarded as Mozi’s ideal society. Whose approach is better: Confucius or Mozi? Throughout most of the Chinese history, Confucian ritualism achieved extensive success because it addressed the necessities of inheritance rules, cultural legacy, and values of the aristocratic factions. Therefore, even in modern China before the founding of the republic, Confucianism remained a plastering element across the diverse social and ethnic groups. Yet, Mozi’s approach toward social theory and his interpretation of the ideal society appears to be better. Although Mozi was critical toward everything that he considered unnecessary for collective and social good, the points he made are relevant even today. Mozi advocated that whatever customs and rituals did not contribute to general public good must be abandoned. In doing so, he even advocated abolition of music and dance. Moreover, he considered an increasing population to be a parameter the ideal society must achieve. In one go, these assumptions may appear to be jocular. But considering Mozi’s contemporary social environment, excessive ritualism along with dance and music might have frustrated the thinker. Also, scarcity of population was a real problem in ancient China. So from a more rationalistic perspective, Mohism can be regarded as a philosophy that was aimed at achieving greater public welfare instead of abstract and spiritual accomplishments. In doing so, Mozi’s ideal society has enough room to determine the duties of the aristocracy and the king toward common people. Despite Mozi was stifled by his contemporary thinkers, rulers, noblemen, and intelligentsia, excessive ritualism and aristocratic customs led to unhappiness and sorrow. In the wake of 20th century, China was weak and suffering from in fighting. In such a state of affair, both nationalist and communist reformers helped to revive Mohism that could attack the concept of fate or Ming (命) and challenge the Chinese plight instead of defining and justifying it as the wrath of gods. Conclusion Mainly because of Mozi’s critical attitude, a scholar would find Confucius and Mozi at the opposite poles of Chinese philosophy and classical thought. But both of them wanted their disciples to pursue a social system that would help to achieve greater human good. Both of these great philosophers wanted people to be happy. But due to Mozi’s materialistic approach, his philosophy appears to be more adaptable with the needs of the modern world. Mozi’s ideal society has enough room to accommodate the human activities as related to industrialization and destroy orthodoxy. Works Cited Bonevac, Daniel, and Stephen Phillips. Introduction to World Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Ivanhoe, Philip J., and Bryan W. van Norden. Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2005. Print. Slingerland, Edward. Confucius Analects: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2003. Print. Yates, Robin D.S. "The Mohists on warfare: Technology, technique, and justification." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 47.3 (1980): 549-603. Print. Read More