The Religions Book

74

C

onfucius, as he is known

in the West, was one

of the first thinkers to

systematically explore the notion

of goodness and whether moral

superiority is a divine privilege

or is inherent in humankind and

can be cultivated.

Born in the 6th century BCE in

Qufu, in modern China’s Shandong

Province, Confucius was one of a

new breed of scholars—in effect, the

first civil servants—who became

advisors to the Chinese court, rising

from the middle classes to positions

of power and influence on the

strength of their own merit rather

than through inheritance. In the

rigidly class-stratified society

of the day, this presented an anomaly,

and it is this anomaly that lies at

the heart of Confucius’s thought.

The rulers of the reigning

Zhou dynasty believed that they

were given their authority directly

by the gods, under the Mandate of

Heaven, and that the quality of ren

(or jen)—humaneness—was

an attribute of the ruling classes.

Confucius, too, saw heaven as the

source of moral order, but he argued

that the blessing of heaven was

open to all, and that the quality

of ren could be acquired by anyone.

It is in fact the duty of everyone to

cultivate the attributes that make

up ren—seriousness, generosity,

sincerity, diligence, and kindness.

To practice these virtues is to

uphold the will of heaven.

The Analects—sayings and

teachings of Confucius collected

by his pupils—established a new

philosophy of morality in which

the superior man, or junzi (literally

gentleman), devotes himself to

the acquisition of ren for its own

sake—he learns for learning’s sake,

and is good for goodness’ sake.

WISDOM LIES WITH THE SUPERIOR MAN

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE

Confucius

WHEN AND WHERE

6th–5th century BCE, China

BEFORE

From 11th century BCE

The Zhou dynasty redirect

traditional Chinese ancestor

worship toward the concept

of a heaven, with the Zhou

emperor as its representative.

6th century BCE Laozi

proposes acting in accordance

with the dao (the Way) in order

to maintain universal harmony.

AFTER

From 6th century BCE

Confucian ideals of virtue and

responsibility inform Zhou

imperial rule and the political

ideology of later dynasties.

18th century Confucius’s

meritocratic ideas are admired

by Enlightenment thinkers

who oppose the absolute

authority of Church and State.

To govern by virtue,

let us compare it to the

North Star: it stays

in its place, while the

myriad stars wait upon it.

The Analects

Virtue is not sent

from heaven.

Therefore, everybody

can be good.

Order is maintained by

goodness.

Goodness is a quality

that can be learned.

Heaven is the source of

moral order.