Confucianism
In the introductory article on the Occult Universe, we establish the basic model of Chinese thought that Confucius inherited. His contribution was to imbue this primitive but complex system with moral value. Confucius was an innovative conservative. While upholding the ceremonial rituals of the existing cultural model, he gave them a moral significance of his own making.
In this short article, after introducing Confucius and his principal ideas, we outline his significance in Chinese history.
Confucius
In 551 BC, in the state of Lu, Confucius was born to a noble but impecunious house. As a young man, he took up government office, rising to a position of relative prominence before being forced out by intrigue. At the age of 50, he became China’s first private teacher and developed a large following of disciples, who wrote up his sayings after his death.
His Principal Ideas
Confucianism contains three central ideas: the rectification of names, the relationship between human-heartedness and righteousness, and knowing Ming, or fate.
1. The rectification of names
As explained in the Occult Universe, traditional Chinese philosophy presumed that everything conformed to a universal principle. Confucius strongly believed that society should likewise conform to this law. He called this idea the rectification of names: “Let the ruler be ruler, the minister minister, the father father and the son son” (Analects, XII, 11). If every citizen took on the responsibility of acting in accordance with the natural principle that defines his or her social position, then there would always be harmony.
Popular culture has often misinterpreted this concept as the strict observance of social etiquette and ritual. But as we shall now see, this impression has trivialized Confucian thought.
2. Human-heartedness and righteousness
Although every social position carries within it a defined set of responsibilities, or righteousness, Confucius insisted that the fulfillment of these duties should be inspired by human-heartedness, which he defined as “loving others” (Analects, XII, 22). His values thus complement both the Christian ideal of love and the Buddhist ideal of compassion.
Since Confucius believed that humans were social animals, the proper conduct of relationships was vital to him. For it was only in relation to others that one could establish one’s virtuous character. “The man of human-heartedness is one who desiring to sustain himself, sustains others, and desiring to develop himself, develops others; that may be called the way to practise human-heartedness” (VI, 28).
3. Knowing Ming
Ming in Chinese means fate. “Knowing Ming,” however, does not mean knowing fate. Indeed, it is almost its opposite. It is the term Confucius gave to acting without regard to the results of one’s actions. Mindful of fate’s capriciousness, he preached that virtue carried within it its own reward, namely “the wise are free from doubts; the virtuous from anxiety; the brave from fear” (IX, 28).
The Confucian should act without regard for the effect of their actions. Acting for profit or self-interest was anathema to Confucius, and helps explain China’s negative attitude to commerce until recent times. To know Ming, therefore, is to entrust the results of one’s actions to fate and not to let their possibly negative after-effects deter one from acting virtuously.
The Influence of Confucianism in Chinese History
Confucianism rose to greatest prominence during the Han dynasty (200 BC–200 AD), when Confucius was almost revered as a god and his teachings widely propagated. However, because it does not focus on a metaphysical aspect, it would be misleading to consider Confucianism a religion; it was an influential social philosophy.
Since Confucius legitimized and promoted an autocratic social structure, many emperors turned to Confucian scholars for administrative assistance in governing their empires. From a ruler’s point of view, the ingeniousness of a Confucianist society is that it is self-regulating. Because all citizens are required to act in accordance with a pre-established pattern of behavior, there is no need for a legal or police framework to define or deter unacceptable social actions.
Strong central rule, the lack of a rigorously enforced legal framework, and a negative attitude toward commerce are three major Chinese truisms that trace their history, in part, back to Confucius.
Confucianism has influenced the development of social thought through much of East Asia. It is important to emphasize that the accent of his teaching lies not on metaphysical but on social thought. For a Chinese philosophy with a metaphysical dimension, we should turn our attention to Daoism.