Confucianism

Confucianism

Confucianism is commonly viewed as a major religion of China, although its religious nature is still being debated by scholars in both China and the West. Through a chronological narrative that traces the development of Confucianism from the time of Confucius to contemporary China and east Asia, this entry focuses on the following aspects of Confucianism: the origin of Confucianism and the Confucian canon, the influence of Confucianism in imperial China, the treatment of Confucianism by the Chinese socialist state in the 20th century, the contemporary revival of Confucian ritual practices, and the global nature of Confucianism (Neville, 2000).

Development of the first Confucianism

As with many other key historical figures in the history of thought ( Buddha , Socrates , Zarathustra) do not have any sources that can be traced back to Confucius . The writings that have been handed down by the disciples of the philosopher are the ones who collected the words and the thought of their master. In the case of Confucius, also the problem of sources is exacerbated by the persecution of which became the object of the philosophical schools during the Qin Dynasty or C'in, more than two centuries after the death of Confucius. The fragments still exist to have a fairly clear picture of Confucian thought. Confucius was a scholar who was worried about the troubled times in which he lived. He travelled through China, trying to spread his ideas and policies to influence the rulers of the many small kingdoms struggling for dominance in China, which arose after the weakening of the Zhou Dynasty. Deeply convinced that you have a mission on earth, Confucius was a tireless promoter of the virtues of ancient illustrious rulers, like the Duke of Zhou. He tried to buy political power, but never had the opportunity to put into practice his ideas repeatedly expelled from the various kingdoms, finally returned to his homeland where he spent the latter part of his life devoting himself to teaching. The Dialogues, the work closest to the source of Confucian thought, reported the discussions of the philosopher and his disciples. Being a compilation of conversations, questions and answers and parts dedicated to the life of Confucius, the Dialogues are not a description of a coherent philosophical system. The first elements of a real system were created by disciples, or disciples of disciples, first of all He Zi, Confucius' grandson. During the fertile period of the Hundred Schools of Thought, many important figures of Confucianism such as Mencius and Xun Zi developed the doctrine of the ethical and political. Mencius, in particular, dwelt on human nature and theories of good governance (Makeham, 2007).

The ritual and customs

In this situation, the task of wise and decent people are so in the first place to recognize the plan of heaven - that is, learning which is consistent, and what is not with the heavenly order. This is the basic knowledge, without which there is no way to achieve a state of heavenly ...