Friendship is a radically different relationship amongst the five primary cardinal relationship mentioned in the WuLun (五伦). In this essay, we will be exploring the concept of friendship in the view of the Early Confucians thinkers and whether it is necessary for friendship to be grounded in commitment to the good. This is an important issue as Confucius himself always advocates cultivating of virtues. Lastly, this essay will also be explaining why Early Confucians thinkers believe it is necessary for friendship to be grounded in commitment to the good, and how it is still applicable in today’s context.
Firstly, how does one make friends? According to Tseng Tzu, “A gentlemen makes friends through being cultivated, but looks to friends for
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Confucius wrote the Analects during the Warring States, where smaller states were vying for power, causing constant outbreaks of war. Thus he went from state to state, transmitting his teachings in hope that it would be a solution for the rulers to govern their subjects, such that there is political obedience to the authority. It would stop the war and the suffering of the people, and different states would be able to co-exist with one another. Besides that, the underlying goals of the five primary cardinal relationship is to help cultivate moral virtues, where it can be also be seen as a way to achieve social stability. The relations between two individuals amongst the five primary cardinal relationship except for friendship, is always of a superior and subordinate, where one must submit himself to the superior. However friendship also plays an important role though it does not have this superior and subordinate relation. Friendship instead can be seen as a platform to further develop our virtues and extend it beyond our family. This helps us to achieve the highest ren where we acquired habits of freely assuming responsibilities for individuals beyond the family group. Thus in the society, we will be able to extend it to others, and treat them with sympathy, empathy and compassion from the cultivation of virtues. Lastly, Confucius also mentioned 3 kinds of good friendships, where "He stands to benefit who takes pleasure in three kinds of things. Equally, he stands to lose who takes pleasure in three other kinds of things. To take pleasure in the correct regulation of the rites and music, in singing the praises of other men's goodness, and in having a large number of excellent men as friends is to benefit..." (Analects, Book 16:5) Drawing from this quote, the similarity among the 3 kinds of good friendships are beneficial to one if his friends are committed to moral cultivation; where
Both St. Augustine’s Confessions and Confucius’s Analects are significant teachings that have influenced people around the world not only in ancient times but in current history as well. Both doctrines provide discussion on the ethical values of society back in the ancient time they were written and lead us to discover similarities between the two beliefs. Although we find these connections, there are significant differences between St. Augustine and Confucius’s views on life and beliefs since they were living in different time periods and environments. Their experiences are the influencers that have impacted to the way that philosophies and traditions have grown today between the West and the East. I agree that Confucius celebrated social
5. Why are the obligations we owe others proportionate to the closeness of our relationship to them? For Confucius, the amount of jen is relevant to the significance of that person in your life. Starting with the family, one’s neighbors, one’s village, one’s social class, all the way down to people on the street. Jen exists on all levels but is proportionate to the importance in your life, the time invested. Jen decreases as it is made available to a wider net of recipients, which seems oddly appropriate and sad to me.
Confucius created the doctrine that 300 years after his death became a permanent impulse of social life in China, established rules of behaviour not only in the state, but also the family as a social unit.1
The friend and friend connections is the last relationship in Confucianism. This relationship is one based on “trust”. The second paragraph on page 282 is Chunyu Fen given the king all the reason he trust Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua. Chunyu Fen trust these individuals based on their skills and ho long the group has been friend for ten years.
I was able to make friends easily by applying my interpersonal skills amongst others. This included joining societies as well as, using my communication skills during my seminar group work discussions, where I demonstrated my teamwork skills by co-operating with others during a shared task. Working with others is a vital skill, as I did not only collaborate with them, but learn from them by listening to their thoughts, as we all had diverse ideas and perspectives. This point leads back to my anxiety of interacting within a new environment, which allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and, associate with people from different backgrounds.
Friendships of virtue, unlike friendships of utility and pleasure, which can include a circle of friends, are strictly one on one relationships. These types of friendships can only occur between two people of the same virtues and both persons have to be virtuous. One can only become virtuous through wisdom and age. Therefore friendships of virtue are not found among young people. It is a relationship of mutual respect and love. The persons in this type of relationship are not in it because they gain something from the relationship, they are not friends because
Sometimes, life provides us with a challenge of either conforming to two ideologies or forgoing one and upholding the other. Being able to be both a Confucian and a Christian depends on how one weighs the similarities and differences of either part. It is well-acknowledged that both Confucianism and Christianity are significant. Their teachings have aided to form the value systems of Eastern and Western and cultures, which have navigated millions of people in behavior, spirit, mind, behavior, and relationships. Going through their doctrines, we can discover something in common. Nevertheless, if we take a direct look, we can see that the whole structures of their philosophies are completely different. The composition is aimed at
According to Reid, a few of the major “Confucianism” ethos and practices involve ‘Ren’, ‘yi’ and ‘li’ which represents the concept of ‘altruism’ along with clear depiction of the humanness for other individuals (Reid 29-66).
Confucius is one of the first Chinese thinkers who addressed the conflict of political and social order. he was a strong willed man who often did not get along with others. He never realized his ambition to become a powerful minister. Confucius attracted numerous disciples who aspired to political careers. His thought was fundamentally moral, ethical, and political in character. He had his disciples study works of poetry and history made during the Zhou dynasty. He examined the book of Songs, book of History, the Book of Rites, and other works with his students. Literary works of the Zhou dynasty became the core texts of the traditional Chinese education because of Confucius’s influence. There were specific Confucian values indluding ren, li, and xiao. Individuals with ren were courteous, respectful, loyal, and diligent. He said ren is much needed for government
One of the oldest philosophies in Chinese history is Confucianism. At the time of the warring states, Confucius wandered throughout China seeking a ruler who accepted the Confucian way. Since then, his ideas grew and are still relevant today. Throughout time other philosophers, Mengzi and Xunzi, have interpreted Confucius’ teachings and have long debated whether human nature is good or bad. I argue that human nature is not, as Mengzi believes, inherently good, instead, completely self-interested.
We have covered the general accounts of human nature found in Confucianism and Taoism in light of the historical backdrop of the Period of Warring States. Use your responses to the following general questions below as an opportunity to refer either to the Smith text and accompanying assigned scriptures(s), Smith video(s) on China, Confucianism, and Taoism, or any additional material covered in class. Look ahead to the next question on the chun tzu in order to plan on avoiding repetition of answers verbatim within each essay if there are areas of potential overlap.
Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
In the book Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship, (based off the Nicomachean Ethics) the author, Pangle, informed the audience that Aristotle believe in three different types of friendships based off three different types of motives: Friendships of Utility, Friendships of Pleasure, and Perfect Friendship. He identifies these types of friendships as different types of sources of affection that are lovable as the good, the pleasant, and the useful. Before analyzing Aristotle three types of friendships we must first understand what he meant by friendship. During Aristotle’s rein friendship was commonly known as the love one person had for another. Philia, brotherly love, was essential
The chapter also extends on to Confucius learning among the populace and its usage by the government, Confucian learning and its relevance to China’s modernization program, and connections between Confucian teachings and democracy. Essentially, the author’s purpose for chapter 1 is to establish an understanding on the importance of Confucian learning undergoing transformations and adapted to modern times.