on filial piety

One of the Confucian themes is filial piety that, in simple terms, refers to a child performing what is rightfully expected of him to behave towards his parents, elders and superiors. The child is to act with respect, obedience and love. There is also brotherly respect that refers to how a person rightfully acts towards his equals and brothers. This person has already understood the importance of such virtue and is now practicing it in his life. This person has already cultivated a principle of respect and proper decorum in any situation that even concerns politics and government. The familial setting that Confucius presents to us magnifies to his ideal of what the society should behave. One might call it finding the Way. As a man of virtue, the filial child has cultivated and made flourish the goodness that he is born with. As both Confucius and Mencius points out that man is naturally good. In the book of Mencius 2A:6, it says that all men cannot bear to see others suffer. He illustrated as an example a child that is about to fall in the well. Mencius points out that men do not immediately ask ‘what’s in it for me?’ Mencius states that man’s actions is driven his first instinct of preferring good over evils and selfishness. And where does this overpowering goodness come from? It comes from the natural goodness of man that has been nurtured and enriched through the root of humanity which are filial piety and brotherly respect.

Class requirement 2

The Confucian philosophy is centered on Ethics and the moral way of man. He says that man should cultivate goodness and live in the through moral principles. Confucius speaks of filial piety and brotherly respect, importance of tradition and being a Chun Tzu. These boil down to a man that has already understood the importance of virtue and is now practicing it in his life. Confucius assumes that man is born with uprightness (analects 6:17). Human heartedness is a basic character of man in which Mencius agrees upon. As Confucius presents man as able to elevate himself into a superior man who equates to being a man of moral principles, righteous and lives in accordance to the Way.

As both Confucius and Mencius points out that man is naturally good. In the book of Mencius 2A:6, it says that all men cannot bear to see others suffer. He illustrated as an example a child that is about to fall in the well. There is an implication that men do not immediately ask ‘what’s in it for me?’ Mencius states that man’s action is driven by his first instinct of preferring good over evils and selfishness. And where does this overpowering goodness come from? It comes from the natural goodness of man that has nurtured and enriched.

 As Confucius disciple, Mencius also puts emphasis on how being equally righteous is achieved. On a more clear and concise manner, Mencius made the Four beginnings. These are the beginnings of realization to being a superior man and being human. Mencius says ‘commiseration is the beginning of humanity; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety; and the feeling of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom.’ According to the book Eastern Philosophy by Kevin Burns, this illustrates how virtue emerges from intellectual response.

Hence, the man that has achieved the extent of these four beginnings is fit and equipped to be a superior that can contribute to the world. He has achieved his humanity and flourished his innate goodness.

The Tao as a social moral way

                From the ideogram of the Tao by Don Lehman Jr., he refers to the Tao as the beginning of a journey. This journey leads to a destination that is guided by the moral path. The moral path guides who decide to follow it. The moral path leads a person to a way of life that coincides with goodness, order and balance.

                The Tao is the moral path in which a person lives by. In the analects 4:5, the first part says, ‘wealth and honor are what man desires. But if they have been obtained in the violation of moral principles, they must not be kept.’ The main thought of Confucian ethics teaches or centers on being a good person. Innate to a man is to be wanting but man must not center his life in these wants. Man must not be dominated by these wants and desires that it undermines virtue and morals.

The Tao is the path that cannot be derailed. The Tao is the Way that does not have an alternative. There is only a principle that man should be moral and virtuous. In analects 1:2, the essence of being moral is seen. In a family setting, a filial son and a respectful brother knows how to respect others that are superior. The superior is man who surpasses the insecurities of life and has ascended in to a man that genuinely lives in moral principle as said in analects 2:4. In return, a parent must act accordingly towards his son. As Derk Bodde says it in his book, ‘the man who loves others is one able to perform his duties in society.’ And thus filial piety and brotherly respect determines the man with morals and virtue in society in practice of jen (human-heartedness)

Above all else, Confucius is the best example of a person who practiced all these teachings. In analects 4:15 it says ‘the way of our master is none other than conscientiousness (chung) and altruism (shu).

As aforementioned, Confucian ethics centers on being a good person. ‘How is to be good?’ a familiar question from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Confucius speaks of filial piety and brotherly respect as a foundation. It tells us that upon extending the virtues that we earn within the family, we tend to be as virtuous among the society. The Confucian philosophy then speaks of humanism that begins within us and at the same time we contribute it to the society. Confucian Ethics speaks of goodness in this form which also equates to conscientiousness and altruism in practice of jen.

confucian interpretation of the root problem

According to Confucius, the root problem is disharmony. Disharmony is due to the absence of the Way. Confucius tells us that the Way has not prevailed for a long time and thus it results chaos amongst humanity. Mencius made mention in the book of Mencius 3A:4 the roles that each has to be that is a ruler is a ruler cannot be a farmer at the same time. The basic idea of harmony lies in fulfilling the task we are supposed to be doing. As Confucius’ great disciple, Mencius justifies the absence of the way as the core of what it is to inhuman, unjust, chaotic. In prevailing the way, everything is done correctly and without conflict.

The Way as being unequal gives everything value for what they are. The differences may be great or little however, the fulfillment of their function creates the balance of world. Everything is made to be unequal and this inequality is the distinction of everything. If things are made to be equal, then there is certainty of humanity’s destruction. And then, there is disharmony.

A government is to govern and not to till the soil. If we are unable to see to this then what happens to a ruler that both has to rule and to tend to the fields? Recognition of what things are and fulfilling their role is the basic idea that equates to what is to be in order and in harmony. This is how Mencius paved his master’s teaching in a more articulate manner. And it is understood that harmony is achieved in both in the societal scale and within the self.

Non-correspondence of names and actualities

In analects 6:23, Confucius asked ‘when a cornered vessel no longer has any corner, should it be called a cornered vessel?’ Confucius tells us that the name we place upon a thing should be what a thing truly is by its definition. Those that do not deserve to be called of the way they are named are non-rectified names. The existence of non-rectified names can be seen in the analects 12:11 where it suggests the political chaos during China’s times of war. The government is crawled with unqualified people who desire power and dares to give themselves titles they do not deserve. These people are the ones that should not be in office for they have achieved their cravings of power in the wrong method. This dilemma is an absence of the Way. The correct nature of putting people who are deserving and qualified to hold power are stripped of their right and those who has no right to be in command are occupying the office. These people are being unworthy of the titles that they have acquired.

The names in which we assign to things have a corresponding meaning that holds truth of what the thing is. If a king is to be called a king then he must live up to the very definition of being a king and not be a greedy noble man. And a noble man must truly be a noble person and not just be named noble due to birth right. Confucius notion in rectifying names is a valid argument. The first step in understanding one another is by using words to refer to what we mean. If a thing or a person lives up to the name it is given then there is an automatic truth in how they are defined. By rightfully placing names to everything, there is a distinction between everything. Justice is justice; good is good and bad is bad. . And thus, in the analects 13:3, Confucius directly states that the first measure that should be undertaken is the rectification of names. When everything is named properly, there will be no misunderstanding among people, government and politics for everything has a definite definition that consists the truth of what they truly is. 

Class requirement 1

In analects 3:24, the border guard of Wei implies the wrongness of Confucius’ state as a chun tzu (gentleman) out of office. The situation is not supposed to be this way because a chun tzu of Confucius’ qualities is meant to be in office and as Confucius remains to be a chun tzu, he’s rightful place is in office. And the situation tells that things are not the way it should be. It tells that something is wrong either in the system, the government or the world. In analects 18:6 there is a different scenario where two farmers say that a chun tzu out of office is less of a problem than the greater problems of the world like loss and claim of authority of those undeserving, wars and instability of the state. Both are different instances that show the same unjust system that is called disharmony. It is when the Way is at disarray and the proper order of things is disregarded. This is a main problem because people as thinking beings and are capable of doing something are acting impassive and unresponsive. People are taking things as it is and not the way it should be.  The proper order of things is not followed and things that should be done are not happening hence, there is disharmony.

People are the ones in command in this world. The change lies in the hands of people. The absence of the Way is the product of what the people refuses to straighten out. The acceptance of what things are degrades the value of what things should be. When the Way is absent, the natural order of things is upside down. The accepted truth becomes more powerful than that of the real truth. The absence of the Way refers to the things and situations that are not in their rightful places. 

spirit of chinese philosophy

In the Chinese civilization, Philosophy is similar to that religion of other civilizations. It is also the first to be learned in order to be an educated man. As such, Philosophy’s significance delves within the individual. Philosophy is one that elevates the mind. In Philosophy, the Chinese people quench their thirst of wanting to see and experience what is greater than this world. It is a way that one seeks and do try to achieve what is beyond this actual existence. This reaching out consists of being more than a believer of what is here to be seen but also what is unseen. And along with this, Philosophy is also seeking for values and higher morals.

The Chinese Philosophy consists of a ‘this-worldly’ and ‘other-worldly’. They are contrasting ideas that describes Philosophy as both of this world – a realistic kind of Philosophy-- and of the other world – an idealistic kind of Philosophy. The dilemma now lies in synthesizing these ideas and how it should be made into one.

Chinese Philosophical works are not as wordy as that of the western Philosophical works. Chinese Philosophers used aphorisms, allusions and illustrations which makes their writings less clear as the writings of Western Philosophers. This makes their works difficult to understand because one is challenged to interpret and sometimes they look disconnected. However, this style makes their work more thought provoking and rich suggestive. The point of this style of expression is that words are needless and what matters is the main idea behind a brief sentence or phrase. This style also connects to the Chinese belief of Taoism wherein the Tao is not said but implied or suggested.