This is a presentation/report I made for my Philosophy of Man subject. credits to this website : http://www.faithology.com/confucianism/overview for the content and wikipedia for confucius' photo.
2. WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?
a philosophy comprised of the teachings of
Confucius, who lived around 551-479 BCE.
The philosophy of Confucius emphasized
personal and governmental morality,
correctness of social relationships, justice
and sincerity. These values gained
prominence in China over other doctrines,
such as Legalism or Taoism during the Han
Dynasty (206 BC AD 220).
3. WHO IS CONFUCIUS?
Chinese philosopher
government official, wandering
from region to region within China
wandering teacher
The virtue he is most often remembered for is that
of filial piety, the belief that sons should respect
and be faithful to their fathers.
Confucius' thoughts have been developed into a
system of philosophy known as Confucianism.
4. ANALECTS
Chinese, Lúnyǔ 論語, "ordered sayings"
teachings of Confucius compiled by his followers.
describe several virtues that Confucius taught were
important for the ruler of China and Chinese society
in general.
this text may not have reached its final form until
the 1st century BCE.
5. CONFUCIAN BELIEFS
The Five Main Confucian Virtues: The main way to
become a person of moral quality is through
cultivation of five main Confucian virtues:
Humaneness - Chinese, "rén" 仁
compassion, benevolence.
Righteousness, Justice- Chinese, "yì"義
justice, morally right.
Ritual propriety- Chinese, "lǐ" 禮
the proper customs in social rituals and expectations.
Knowledge- Chinese, "zhì" 智
understanding and familiarity with truths, facts, and/or
principles.
Integrity- Chinese, "xìn" 信
adhering to moral character; honesty.
6. Self-cultivation: Self-cultivation is stressed in
Confucianism. Great significance is placed on the
ability of each individual to learn, to become
educated, and to eventually become a moral and
upstanding person.
Filial Piety: Another popular Confucian belief is that
of filial piety. At its core, this concept teaches that
one’s body is a gift from his or her parents and it
should thus be spared from harm whenever
possible. Filial piety includes service to one’s
parents as well as one’s ruler. It also states that one
should strive to become established in the world
and glorify his or her parents when doing so.
7. CONFUCIAN TIMELINE
Confucius established this ideology around 551-479
BCE.
Confucianism was expanded by Mencius (c. 372-
289 BCE) and other later scholars.
In 213 BCE, the First Emperor of China is said to
have ordered the burning of all literature—
Confucian texts included—unrelated to medicine,
divination, agriculture, and the history and
government of his own dynasty.
The following year, in 212 BCE, the First Emperor is
recorded to have had more than 460 primarily
Confucian scholars slaughtered due to their public
criticism of his well-known cruelty.
8. Zhu Xi (1130-1200 CE) alters the Confucian canon,
raising the Analects and three other texts to the
status of canon. These texts become known as the
“Four Books.”
Despite experiencing various periods of decline and
revival, Confucianism remained extremely
influential within the realm of Chinese politics from
its conception up until the advent of Chinese
Communism in 1949.
9. THE FIVE CLASSICS AND THE FOUR BOOKS OF
CHINA
The Classic of Poetry
The Classic of Documents
The Classic of the Rites
The Classic of Changes
The Spring and Autumn Annals
10. Each of these texts has a prominent place in Chinese
history, and several of them are utilized throughout
a handful of different religions in East Asia.
During the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE), Zhu Xi
created a collection of Confucian canonical texts.
This collection is called the "Four Books."
The Mencius, named after its author, and
the Analects are the two most prominent of the
Four Books.
The other two, not technically “books,” are actually
two chapters of the Liji: "Daxue" and "Zhongyong".
11. QUICK OVERVIEW OF CONFUCIANISM
Type of Faith: Philosophy.
Name of deity: None.
Founder: Confucius.
Date founded: 5th century
BCE.
Name of
Adherents: Confucians.
Number of
Adherents: Approximately 6
million.(China, Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan,
and Vietnam, as well as
various territories settled
predominantly by Chinese
people, such as Singapore)
Main belief: Practitioners
work to become a person of
moral quality.
Sacred Texts: The Five
Classics and Four Books.
Origins: Confucianism can
be traced to the 5th century
BCE.
Locations: Primarily East
Asia.
Place of Worship: None.
Sects: None.
