Confucianism

Basic Confucianism
Social Relations and Some
Geor Hintzen
2018
 Chinese Culture

Clifford Geertz sees culture as mental software

Chinese culture is based on Confucianism

Confucianism is a form of ethics

based on the metaphysics of reality
 A Different Look at People
Society is ideally structured after Heavenly Harmony
Social Roles

No legitimacy individual interests/emotions

Social roles are expressed as relations

Each individual fulfils role to best of ability

Different role according to other

Roles should become 2nd nature

 Humanity/Goodness

Confucianism = practical ethics

Ask from person acc. to possibilities
Supreme importance to assessment
Assessment of situations and persons
Is the Way being followed?
Teach and lead on unworthy/incompetent
Promote and learn from worthy
 Assessment

Tree symbolism: crooked wood vs cypress and

pine last to fade
A measure to assess the candidate:
Who can join in study, but not progress to Way
Who can join in progress to Way, but beside
whom one cannot take a stand
Beside whom one can make a stand, but whom
one cannot join in counsel
 General Behaviour

Be faithful to superiors/ elder

Keep promises
Refuse friendship with those unlike you
If wrong, own up and correct mistake/amend way

In private courteous, in public diligent, in all

relations loyal

Do not unto others what you don't like

 Five Social Relations

1- Father and Son

2- Ruler and Subject
3- Teacher and Pupil
4- Elder/Young Brother or Btw Friends
5- Man and Woman
 Father and Son 1

Basic relationship
Inequality is the norm (as Xunzi says, it is what
distinguishes man from animals)

Father is the general term for all elder/superior

people

Father is also = the ancestors

The feeling towards father is filial piety (xiao)
 Father and Son 2

Proper respect to the dead = highest virtue

Dead parents must be buried and sacrificed to acc
to rituals
After death of parent: three years of mourning (In
Imperial times mourning official stopped working)
Good son = who keeps house as in father's day
during mourning period of 3 yrs
Presumptuous to sacrifice to others than own
ancestors
 Father and Son 3

Be well-behaved to parents
Never disobey parents
Gentle remonstration possible, but if no change in
opinion resume deference
Son may feel discouraged but never resentful
Behave so that parents feel no anxiety except for
health
Work hard with correct demeanour
 Father and Son 4

A son while his father is alive only has intentions

Only when father dies will one discover if he's

capable of carrying them out

A son does not wander far afield when parents

alive or only to where he said he was going

A son should know the age of his parents

 Ruler and Subject 1

A basic relation of human society

Ruler = Immovable Moral Force = Pole Star

If barbarians retained their princes, there would

not be such decay as in China

Know your place under the ruler: no usurping

 Ruler and Subject 2

Good ruler => loves men

Wise ruler => knows men (straight over crooked)

Ruler encourages loyalty through:

Showing dignity (& gets respect)

Showing filial piety (& gets loyalty)

Promoting worthy/training incompetent
 Ruler and Subject 3

All subjects must be loyal to ruler

Officials/Ministers must do more:

When needed serves/ when set aside, hides

He does not scold ruler too much

He allies to individuals not parties
He helps necessitous/not make rich richer
 Ruler and Subject 4

A good minister:
Hears much, maintains silence on doubtful views
& is cautious on speaking abt rest (seldom runs
into trouble)

Sees much, ignores what is dangerous to have

seen & is cautious acting on the rest (seldom will
want to undo acts)
Will get incidental rewards from ruler
 Teacher and Pupil 1

Teacher is never frivolous

Teacher gains knowledge of future by reanimating
past
Teacher really teaches when he practises what he
preaches
Teacher teaches acc to ability to pupil
There is nothing a teacher will keep from pupil
 Teacher and Pupil 2

A teacher is disquieted when:

Moral power is left untended

Learning is left unperfected

Righteous men are heard of, but can't be joined

Evil men are heard of, but can't be reformed

 Teacher and Pupil 3

A good pupil:

Studies without thought of reward

Listens attentively

Treads in tracks of the Ancient (=teacher)

Shows the right attitude acc to personality

(polite restraint, impatient energy, genial & affable)
 Teacher and Pupil 4

Pupils have different capabilities:

Some shoots spring up, but never flower

Some shoots flower, but never bear fruit

Teachers teach different things acc to capabilities

of pupil: adapted lessons
 Elder-Younger Brother/Friends 1

Relation of peers, not equals

Inherent distinction elder/younger
Behave well towards elder brother
(trunk Goodness)
Refuse friendship of those unlike you
Let friends come from afar
Virtue never dwells in solitude, but will always
bring neighbours
 Elder-Younger Brother/Friends 2

Be alert, cheerful and very free-n-easy in leisure

hours

Inform them loyally, guide them discreetly and if

that fails desist => don't court humiliation

Gentleman by culture collects friends around him

and thru them promotes Goodness
 Man and Woman

Women and people of low birth are very hard to

deal with, If you are friendly with them, they get
out of hand, and if you keep your distance they
resent it.
 Recent Confucianism

Initially reviled by communists; Since 1980s a

come-back, but continuity

Still adhered to in Singapore, Hong Kong and

Taiwan: modern ethics

Kong family still exists: reputedly oldest family in

the world
 Question 1

In XIII.18 upright Kong bore witness against his

father for appropriating sheep. Why did Confucius
disagree with Kong? Explain what Kong rather
should have done besides concealing the act.
 Question 2

The gentleman by his culture collects friends

about him, and through these friends promotes
Goodness.

How should this remark be understood against

the background of XV.21 that a gentleman should
not ally himself with parties?
Thank you for your attention!

Questions: g.h.hintzen@hhs.nl