Confucianism Influence

Confucianism, dating back from the Spring and Autumn period (551-479 BCE), began its impact by a man named Confucius (Kong Fuzi). The main idea of Confucianism spread very quickly during the Zhou period, but was then hampered in the Warring State and in the Qin Dynasty when Legalism became the most prominent study. Furthermore, during the Qin Dynasty, the Confucius philosophers and books were killed and destroyed. However, Confucianism reached another peak during the Han dynasty; the government officials were mainly under the influence of Confucianism as the test were based on Confucianism’s writing (Yao 55). The Confucius philosophy was later take over by Daoism or Buddhism; still, Confucianism remains part of the long Chinese history until now (Yao 55), Confucianism focus on mainly on personalities, the study of Humanness (Ren), righteousness (yi), filial piety (xiao), and loyalty (xin) were core roots of Confucianism. With all four beliefs, Confucianism is a commitment to self and social motivation, and make the person fully realize about themselves. (Magagna “The Confucian Root”). Furthermore, Confucius believes the heaven (tian) is the ultimate superior and will react to people who either follow or disregard the Confucius root. These leads to a goal, becoming a Jun-zi (gentlemen), who has all the attributes and is known as the perfect man. The main concepts of Confucianism is about how to become a better person in general; the formula is to attain all the attributes or rituals (Ren, Yi, Xiao, Xin). With all beliefs and ritual in mind, the government and the people will not be punish by the heaven, and can flourish into a Jun-zi (Magagna “The Confucian Root”). As the word Confucianism becomes from a western thermology, the actual study of Confucianism is the study of the Ru. During the Zhou dynasty, where the idea of Confucianism began, the Zhou dynasty was in perfect order. There was no warfare, protestant against government, families were having good lives, and everything was in proper order (Magagna “The Confucian Root”). To obtain ru, there were the four beliefs that relate each other: Humanness, Righteousness, Filial Piety, and Loyalty. One of the key concept of Confucianism can be related to government policies. Unlike other popular philosophies like Legalism or Moism, the idea of Confucianism is that people will learn from their mistakes. With the combination of the four beliefs, Confucians believed in government should rule the country without authority, and punishment by law should be as minimal as possible because laws can only stop the crime for a short period, while practicing virtue can last forever (understanding the mistake one’s made) (Yao 22). In specific, each belief is valued different; for instance, Confucius believed “chaos and disorder developed from the misuse and abuse of ritual or propriety” (Yao 22). Confucius justify his position while claiming a government rule with his idea will be long-lasting while citizens will live in a happy and ideal life (Magagna “The Confucian Root”). Therefore, the concept of government in Confucianism is very different than the government we have right now in either the East Asia or other continents around the world, which almost no countries are running under the idea of Confucianism. As the government of Confucianism needs to gather all the beliefs, each of the beliefs signify as one of the most important concept in Confucianism. Righteousness (Yi) is one of the key stepping …show more content…
However, in the modern era, the old Confucianism idea began to fade away as we value other beliefs more heavily. For instance, we may snitch on our parents when they have done something wrong; instead of following the Confucius idea of protecting them and providing them the best. As we see how the idea of Confucianism contradicts our modern era phenomenal, we believe there are pros and cons on each philosophy. Moreover, learning and practicing different kinds of philosophy will grant a better view of the world. All in all, Confucianism is one of the most historical piece of philosophy, and learning the five main concepts of Confucianism, we understand how each belief and ritual are linked together, and without anyone of these, we fail to obtain any of those because they are so closely