What is Confucianism?

Vdoc Vdoc

October 24, 2021

Confucianism is a way of life that the Chinese people have followed for over two millennia and that was championed by Confucius between the sixth and fifth centuries. Although it has changed throughout time, it continues to serve as the basis for education, the source of Chinese values, and the social code. Other countries have felt the impact of it, most notably Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. It is an all-encompassing worldview, social morality, political philosophy, academic tradition, and way of life. Confucianism, which is frequently viewed as a philosophy and occasionally as a religion, may be understood as a comprehensive way of thinking and living that incorporates ancestor worship and a profoundly human-centered religion. East Asians may identify as Shintists, Daoists, Buddhists, Muslims, or Christians, but they rarely stop being Confucians once they do. Thus, a feature of Confucianism was the affirmation of conventional ideas and standards of conduct in significant social organizations and basic human relationships. Each participant in human contact has a set of predefined responsibilities and reciprocal obligations that they are expected to understand and uphold. Correct behaviour has the power to change and improve society, starting with the individual and family. Confucianism accepted the existence of the heavenly bureaucracy that governed the old Chinese gods, but it was more focused on good moral behaviour on earth. According to Confucius, social harmony may be attained by combining compassionate high-level authority with admirable low-level behavior. The importance of hierarchy and order cannot be overstated, and collective interests always trump personal interests. The monarch is to be obeyed as long as he performs his duties properly. The mandate of heaven doctrine, which emerged during the Zhou era and has since played a significant role in Chinese political thought, was in line with this belief. Confucianism prioritised filial piety and saw society as a perfect family in which junior members respected the elders. This made it a perfect fit for China's long-standing ancestor-worshipping tradition. Women were firmly entrenched as inferiors under the very patriarchal Confucianism regime. Men ruled, engaged in conflict, and received education. They are allowed to have concubines and several wives, and they have the right to divorce any woman who is incapable of bearing them children. Women were only moms and housewives. They were given some schooling but were not permitted to own property, and there was no dowry system in place to provide brides with financial security. Three terms can best describe Confucianism: fairness, nonmaleficence, and beneficence.