The Principles Of The Confucian Philosophy

On the contrary, collectivist societies value conformity, and are more concerned with the success of the group as a whole (Goncalo & Staw, 2006). One of the key differences between the two is the structure of the family unit and the significance placed on maintaining close family ties. Collectivist societies follow a hierarchical system with the patriarchal figure given ultimate power and respect. The importance of family is not valued as highly in individualist societies. For example, while it would be typical for a family living under one roof to consist of many generations and extended relations in China, it would seem highly unusual if the same was to occur in a country such as the United States of America (USA) (Jyh-Shen Chiou, 2001). This is due to the heavy emphasis placed on collectivism in China. Western countries, including the USA, are traditionally viewed as individualist societies (Cai, Wilson, & Drake, 2000). As there is no clear distinction between the family unit and the individual in collectivist cultures, the reputation of the family name is closely tied to the behaviour of every person. Embarrassing one’s self would be to bring shame to the

Individualism: Individualism is the term that refers to the ways in which people identify themselves and focus their goals. Individualism gives priority to personal goals as opposed to the goals of a group or society. Once the men have stepped off the bus on Parris Island they give up every aspect of individualism, they are stripped of all valuables and given the same clothes and haircut which they will wear for the remainder of time. American cultures which are seen almost daily are the ability to voice your own opinion, choosing your personal perspective, and even just the choices you choose to make. Individualism is something that can differ between cultures, but most cultures share certain qualities.

Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an

Confucianism had a positive impact on China because it increased social stability. Confucianism is a philosophy which focused on everyday problems and the relationships between people. It’s main goal was to restore peace, harmony and social order. Confucius is the creator of Confucianism believed that societies like China had lost touch traditions and morals so he made the concept “filial piety” which stressed “respect for ones parents, elders, and ancestors… bring a good name to ones parents and ancestors… he believed that if everyone respected, their family, was obedient, and worked hard to bring honor to their families name”. (Document 1).

Individualism relates to human suffering when one put themselves first than others without taking into consideration the feelings of those around them because they are only thinking of themselves. To illustrate, in contemporary America most people put their elderly and disabled families’ members in nursing homes because they do not want to take the time to provide the care and love for them.

“Individualism is the idea that the individual’s life belongs to him and that he has an inalienable right to live as he sees fit, to act on his own judgement, to keep and use the product of his effort, and to pursue the causes of his choosing.” My take on individualism, is basically that we can control ourselves, we can do what we want with restrictions to keep those that stand by us safe. Individualism is a way of a society. Now, on the other hand there is collectivism, “the idea that the individual’s life belongs not to him but to the group or society of which he is merely a part of has no rights, and that he must sacrifice his values and goals for the group’s greater good.” My take on this is “idea” is that you are completely controlled when put under this way of society. Having read the book Anthem by Ayn Rand collectivism is for sure something that I would not want to be a part of.

Eric Mack’s essay “In Defense of Individualism” provides a basic outlook of individualistic personalities and interactions that are prevalent throughout society. Mack gives definitions of different theories in individualism, breaking the encompassing thought

Leadership and Motivational Strategies Individual/Group Behavior Individualism is the degree of independence a society maintains among its members. It basically has to do with whether the individual in each culture is define their self-image in terms of “we” or “I”. Individualistic societies like the United States and Australia people generally only worry about taking care of themselves and those closest to them. In collectivist society’s people belong to a group that take care of each other.

Individualism is the tendency of people to look after themselves and their immediate family only. This dimension is in direct contrast with collectivism, the tendency of people to belong to groups that look after each other in exchange for loyalty. Hofstede has found that economically advanced countries tend to place greater emphasis on individualism than do poorer countries. For example, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Canada have high individualism. In contrast Ecuador, Guatemala, Pakistan, and Indonesia have low individualism. Although Hofstede did not measure changes in individualism along with a time continuum, he did find that Japan has a higher individualism score than any other country in the Orient. Given the

It is closely related to ren and has been characterized as “the orientation that makes right action effortless following attainment of the right balance between self and others.” A priority among practicing Confucianists, li equips a person to conduct relationships with harmony and ease. The Analects suggest that a main ideal of Confucianism is to preserve valued relationships allowing them to flourish via ritual conduct that encodes a set of common and shared gestures and vernacular that demonstrate respect in social interactions. “To bring comfort to the aged, to inspire trust in my friends, and to be cherished by the youth (Epley,

Q.1 What are the five relationships and the five main virtues of Confucianism? How would you evaluate the harms and benefits of defining society and reciprocal duties as Confucius did?

The path to becoming a person of honor came down to believing and practicing four key concepts of the Confucian way of life along with a fifth that encompassed all other concepts with the idea of one’s density and one’s ability to reach heaven. It was considered crutial to, “[Devote oneself] wholeheartedly to solving human problems, Confucius propagated the value of education, virtue and self-cultivation” (Yao 26). There are a multitude of concepts that comprise the East Asian Confucian way of life, however, “ Of these concepts four became the underlying ideas of the Confucian tradition, namely, the Way (dao), ritual/propriety (li), humaneness (ren) and virtue (de), and later the backbone of the ideological structure of a Confucian state” (Yao 26). These four concepts coupled with the slightly contradictory idea that, “Confucius kept a distance from religious matters such as serving ‘spirits and ghosts’, and would rather talk about this life than the life after (Lunyu, 11: 12)… [While holding] a deep faith in Heaven and destiny (ming), and [thus preserving] religious ritual strictly” (Yao 26). This practical approach to living one’s life and ultimately reaching heaven saw great success

Confucianism supports a compassionate point of view by recognizing each human being as a unique person. Each person is born into life with certain boundaries, such as wealth, health, physicality, and race. Human beings are born into inequality and can be argued that humans become more unequal later in life. From this notion, even if someone believes in fair and equal competition the rules of life are already unequal at the beginning. These unequal boundaries exert an effect on the development of each person. This is the Confucian way of maintaining social order, a concept derived from the regulation of harmony based on diversity. The respect of differences is the only way harmony can be attained. Zhou Qin advocated “Without difference in tone,

Society is the biggest aspect of life in which Confucianism has tremendous impact on. Not only does Confucianism layout the way one should be, act, and present himself towards and to others; these are the qualities that any civilization basis its self on. A researcher can tell much about a nation by its social well-being or lack of well-being. History can tell a

First, Individualism vs. Collectivism. Individualism is the social function of the relative likelihood of a free and individual means only take care of themselves and their families. By contrast, collectivism is the tendency of social functions relatively tight where each individual to identify themselves as a group with loyalty not need to be asked. The main problem of this dimension is the degree of interdependence of individuals in a