Confucius (551– 479 BC) is one of the most influential scholars and philosophers in history, reaching as he did millions of people over that last millennia. His commentary and political philosophy aimed to create a new society and culture in China. His themes and models of culture and society have persisted not only in China, but in greater East Asia as well. His philosophy was meant to be lived. His students were supposed to adapt it as a technical manual for personal transformation, human growth, and political order. Largely regarded as a humanist philosopher, Confucius is renowned as a social commentator as well as a man with strict ideas about the best way to structure interpersonal and political relationships (Hinton 3). Rituals were important to Confucius and he educated his students about their importance and structure using a friendly, often colloquial, type of rhetoric that belies the serious and sacred aspects of his teachings. Confucius’ teachings are presented in a conversational tone and address issues ranging from quotidian to imperial; Confucius said, “Those whose studies begin with Ritual and music are commoners. Those whose studies end with Ritual and music are noble-minded” (Hinton Analects 84). The rituals are woven into stories with themes such as attaining discipline and living a harmonious life. Confucius was an inordinately successful philosopher who, according to Hinton, holds a position in an “independent intellectual class and was China’s first self-conscious philosopher” (Hinton 7). Although it is difficult to document the man himself, what remains of his life represents a monolithic philosophical accomplishment commonly known as the Confucian Way. His dedication to teaching his students and to the ideal of personal development and self-cultivation remain the acknowledged and subliminal ways a huge portion of the human population views the world.
Works Cited
Hinton, David. Analects. Washington, DC, USA: Counterpoint, 2014. Print.
