Confucianism and the west :: essays research papers

Throughout the public life of the first half of the semester we have taken a broad ground of the major(ip) aspects of the phenomena that has been the recent history of China. When studying Modern China a common thread of ethical, cultural, religious, political, social, and economic aspects can be analyzed in relationship to Confucianism and its view on international relations. These aspects show that historically (particularly the ordinal century) China initially resisted the acceptance of Western influence in invest to maintain its high level of uniqueness, isolation, and Confucianism which has bred its prosperity and demise.      From its early to modern societies it was extravagantly clear that China would be a largely Confucian- ground society. Confucianism is a major system of thought in China. Developed from the teachings of Confucius and his disciples, their ideals centered on name with the principles of good conduct, practical wisdom, and proper soc ial relationships. Confucianism has influenced the Chinese attitude toward life, and place the patterns of living and standards of social value. The keynote of Confucian ethics is jen, variously translated as "love," "goodness," "humanity" and respect for your neighbor (http//www.formosa-kingdom.com/chinese/). Jen is a supreme merit representing human qualities at their best. In human relations, jen is manifested in chung, or fealty to oneself and others. Other important Confucian virtues include righteousness, propriety, integrity, and filial piety. It is in this sparkling that thoughts of Confucius can so largely affect all facets of life. Confucianism can affect and determine the ethical viewpoints of entire nations. The ideal social structure of eastern hemisphere Asia was that of a Confucian hierarchy followed individually by a gruelling familial structure. Chinese society was modeled in a unfeigned Confucian structure with governmental workers be ing the elite, followed by the crop producing farmers, then(prenominal) the merchants, and finally soldiers. Chinese ethics place an enormous emphasis upon respect. It was my judgement from discussion and research that a Confucian society is primarily based on honor and the ideology that everything is done in the best interests of the family or society. Confucius states in the first article of his constitution that Harmony should be held a treasure, and the person who eschews selfish opposition should receive honor (East Asia, pg. 64 from cultivation year). This was the case in the book Thousand Pieces of Gold when a spring chicken girl named Lulu virtually sacrifices her entire life for the greater good.