Chapter 2 Confucius (IZongzi) In The Analects

Confucius(Kongzi)in the Analectsking") - in ancient times before him, there had been sage kings (Yaoand Shun), who had maintained a moral, harmonious state.From our contemporaryperspective, we might ask: how does virtueguarantee political success? To answer this question, we have firstto understandthat Confucius' political ideal is designed for a smallmonarchic polity. Within a small nation-state,as those existed in histimes, the ruler's virtues were easily observed by the people. Confuciusbelieved that if people respect the ruler, then they will be more likelyto follow his rules. He says: "If a ruler sets himself right, he will befollowed without his command. If the ruler does not set himself right,he will not be obeyed no matter how many orders he issues.,,45 At atime when rulership was not backed by any theory of the divine right ofthe sovereign, the ruler needed to "earn" the respect of the people. By"setting himself right," Confucius meant not just that the ruler shouldbe correct in his personal conduct, but also that he should be correct inhis administrative judgment. Confucius says: "If you promote the straightand set them above the crooked, then the people will be obedient."46 Ifthe ruler has good judgment on the ministers he chooses to manage thestate, then the people will not contest. If the people see that thosegoverning them are all morally upright, then they will be inspired to berighteous themselves. Such an inspired moral transformationis not theresult of an ulterior motive: if I act in a righteous way, I too could bepromoted to a high position. Confucius believes that the people willreadily emulate a morally exemplary person, because virtue has thepower of moving and transforming people. He says, "Virtue never standsalone. It is bound to have neighbors."47 This remark gives an interestingportrayal of the power of virtue. If a single person acts with impeccablevirtue, then those around him will gradually be inspired to act virtuously. Eventually, the whole neighborhoodwill be occupied by virtuouspeople. If a virtuous civilian could have such an impact, then a virtuoussovereign would have an even greater impact on the people. Confuciususes two analogies to describe how effortless such virtuous rulers hipcould be. He once said that the virtuous ruler can be compared to thePole Star, "which commands the homage of the multitude of stars without leaving its place. ,,48 He also said that if the ruler himself wishes tobe good, his people will be good, because "the character of a ruler islike wind and that of. the people is like grass. In whatever direction thewind blows, the grass always bends."49Finally, according to Confucius, law and punishmentcan only restrain people's behavior; it cannot alter their mind. Under strict lawsand punishments, people will simply want to avoid being caught. But ifthey are taught to observe Ii (propriety), then they will develop their61

Ancient Chinese Philosophyown moral sense and will wantaccord. Confucius says:If you trykeep themthe peoplevirtue anda sense ofto do the right thing of their ownto lead the common people with governmentalregulationsin line with punishments,the law will simply be evadedwill have no sense of shame. If, however, you guide themkeep them in line by means of [propriety], the people willshame and will moreover reform themselves.50andandwithhaveConfucius' political philosophy can be sharply contrasted with that ofMachiavelli. According to Machiavelli, a ruler need only be virtuouswhen doing so will be to his advantage, and sometimes the ruler mustlearn how not to be virtuous. Machiavelli also says: "It's far better to befeared than loved if you cannot be both. "51 He argued that the rulercannot be idealistic and must deal with the actual conditions of theworld. People in general are selfish, fickle, forgetful, and greedy. Whenthe ruler's behavior is bound by virtue, he cannot always use the mostefficient means to deal with his people. But if he uses harsh law and stiffpunishment, then he can at least be sure that they would not dare toviolate his rules.Confucius' political philosophy is exactly the opposite of this kind ofMachiavellian politics. He does not see the reality and the ideal as twoseparate realms. For him, the goal for an individual as well as for a stateis always to strive for the ideal. As we saw earlier, this affinity towardthe good is innate in us. When properly inspired, everyone will want tobe good and to act in the correct way. It is only when we rest contentwith the present state and concede the impossibility of improvementthat we fail to follow the Way. If, under the moral model of a sage king,everyone were constantly to practice self-examinationto see if he weretruly loyal to his roles (zhong), if he were to extend himself to empathize with others (shu), if he were to help others attain their moralpersonhood(ren), if he took care to observe propriety in all situations(li), then the Way (Dao) would prevail and we would have an idealworld.ConclusionConfucius depicted a lofty ideal for individuals and for the state. Hisideal human being is one who never lapses in the pursuit of selfimprovement. Our moral cultivation is like climbing a virtue ladder - wecan always become better since there is always room for improvement.62

Confucius(Kongzi)in the AnalectsLearning to know the Way (Dao) and to lead a life in accordance withthe Way are the ultimate goals in life. Knowledge is for the moralgrowth of the individual learner; education is for building moral character. But at the same time, Confucius also focused on the moral duty tomake others better. A Confucian always thinks of himself or herself as amember of human society. To better oneself is not as good as betteringthe whole human race; to have a happy life oneself is not as good asmaking everyone's life happy. The most efficient way to accomplishthese ends is to improve the politics of the state. Therefore, the idealConfucian is one who is inwardly a moral sage, outwardly a humaneking. By setting up a "moral king" as the ideal, the Confucian politicalphilosophy treats virtue and politics as inseparable from each other.On the personal level, what Confucius teaches is an adherence tovirtue in the way one conducts oneself on a daily basis. A virtuousperson does not seek recognition from others. As Confucius says, "Donot worry that you are not known to others; worry rather that youyourself lack ability.,,52 Hence, Confucians should scrutinize themselvesconstantly. What one should care about is only whether one's wordsand deeds correspond to each other, or whether one's reputation matchesthe truth. Some people only appear to be virtuous and thus earn therespect from their peers, but Confucius calls such a person "the thief ofvirtue. ,,53Later on, Mencius would give a nice explanation of this phrase:If you try to condemn them, there is nothing you can point to; if you tryto censure them, there is nothing to censure. They are in agreement withthe current customs; they are in harmony with the sordid era in whichthey live. That in which they dwell seems to be loyalty and [faithfulness];that which they do seems to be blameless and pure. The multitude delightin them; they regard themselves as right. But you cannot enter into theWay of Yao and Shun with them . [Confucius] says, "I hate that whichseems but is not. ,,54Wecan thus conclude that a Confucian is a person who is true to virtue,true to the Way, and true to him- or herself.Further discussion questionsWhat is the moral justificationfor a Confucian hierarchy? Is democracycompatible with such a hierarchical structure?2 What are the different implicationsbetween the positive Golden Rule inChristian ethics and the negative Golden Rule in Confucian ethics? Bothprinciples demand that we gauge others' preferences or dislikes on the basis63

Ancient Chinese Philosophyof our own; hence, both differ from the Kantian moral principle that requires us to think of everyone, including ourselves, as disinterested, purelyrational beings. Which approach could generate a more universal application?3 What virtues does Confucius stress in his moral teaching? How are thesevirtues different from other virtue ethicists' recommendations?4 How does Confucius define "filial piety"? How is it different from thecommon Western expectation of sons or daughters? What is the expectationon children within your own family tradition?5 Joel Feinberg (1980) discusses an imaginary Nowhereville, where people arecompassionate, sympathetic, honorable, and are endowed with a strongsense of duty, but the notion of rights is lacking. Would a Confucian societybe like this Nowhereville? What would be missing if a moral society did nothave the notion of rights?Primary textsWing-tsit Chan (ed.) A Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy, 4th edn. Princeton:Princeton University Press, 1973 (ch. 2; excerpts).Raymond Dawson. Confucius: The Analects. Oxford World's Classics paperback. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden (eds.) Readings in Classical ChinesePhilosophy. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2003(ch. 1; excerpts).D. C. Lau. Confucius: The Analects. New York: Penguin Classics, 1979.Further readingsRobert Allinson. "The Confucian Golden Rule: A Negative Formulation." Journal of Chinese Philosophy 12, 1985: 305-15.Herbert Fingarette. "Following the 'One Thread' of the Analects." Journal ofthe American Academy of Religion 47(35), 1979: 375-405.Philip Ivanhoe. "Reviewing the 'One Thread' of the Analects." Philosophy East. & West 40(1),1990: 17-33.64

Confucius (IZongzi) In the Analects Introduction In the Western world, Confucius (551-479 BCE) is generally regarded as the founder of the moral and political philosophy known as Confucian ism. The connotation is that this philosophy is his philosophy. The name "Con