Confucianism is a philosophy and belief system from ancient China, which laid the foundation for much of Chinese culture. Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived from551 to 479 B.C.E. His thoughts on ethics, good behavior, and moral character were written down by his disciples in several books, the most important being the Lunyu.
Confucianism
believes in ancestor worship and human-centered virtues for living a peaceful life. The golden rule of
Confucianism
is “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”
There is debate over if
Confucianism
is a religion.
Confucianism
is best understood as an ethical guide to life and living with strong character. Yet,
Confucianism
also began as a revival of an earlier religious tradition. There are no Confucian gods, and Confucius himself is worshipped as a spirit rather than a god. However, there are temples of
Confucianism
, which are places where important community and civic rituals happen. This debate remains unresolved and many people refer to
Confucianism
as both a religion and a philosophy.
The main idea of
Confucianism
is the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of “cosmic harmony.” If the emperor has moral perfection, his rule will be peaceful and benevolent. Natural disasters and conflict are the result of straying from the ancient teachings. This moral character is achieved through the virtue of ren, or “humanity,” which leads to more virtuous behaviours, such as respect, altruism, and humility. Confucius believed in the importance of education in order to create this virtuous character. He thought that people are essentially good yet may have strayed from the appropriate forms of conduct.
Rituals
in
Confucianism
were designed to bring about this respectful attitude and create a sense of community within a group.
The idea of “filial piety,” or devotion to family, is key to Confucius thought. This devotion can take the form of ancestor worship, submission to parental authority, or the use of family metaphors, such as “son of heaven,” to describe the emperor and his government. The family was the most important group for Confucian
ethics
, and devotion to family could only strengthen the society surrounding it.
While Confucius gave his name to
Confucianism
, he was not the first person to discuss many of the important concepts in
Confucianism
. Rather, he can be understood as someone concerned with the preservation of traditional Chinese knowledge from earlier thinkers. After Confucius’ death, several of his
disciples
compiled his wisdom and carried on his work. The most famous of these
disciples
were Mencius and Xunzi, both of whom developed Confucian thought further.
Confucianism
remains one of the most influential philosophies in China. During the Han Dynasty, emperor Wu Di (reigned 141–87 B.C.E.) made
Confucianism
the official state ideology. During this time, Confucius schools were established to teach Confucian
ethics
.
Confucianism
existed alongside Buddhism and Taoism for several centuries as one of the most important Chinese religions. In the Song Dynasty (960–1279 C.E.) the influence from Buddhism and Taoism brought about “Neo-
Confucianism
,” which combined ideas from all three religions. However, in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912 C.E.), many scholars looked for a return to the older ideas of
Confucianism
, prompting a Confucian revival.
