Confucius

1. Confucius

2. Confucius’s Moral Teachings • love others • honor one's parents • do what is right instead of what is advantageous • practice "reciprocity," i.e. "don't do to others what you would not want yourself“ • rule by moral example instead of by force and violence

3. Confucius’s Moral Teachings • An irony: • Confucius had an “arm's length” attitude towards religion • Confucianism later became one of the major religions of China , and Confucius later became a god, to whom temples were dedicated in every Chinese city; nevertheless he didn't talk about the gods at all. • By contrast, Socrates (born 9 years after Confucius died) talked frequently about the gods but was put to death for presumably not believing in them

4. Analects • compiled over the course of several centuries • reached their final form around the third century BC • authorship attributed to Confucius’s disciples • Confucius poses questions—many rhetorical—and presents analogies, thereby guiding students to formation of answers on their own

5. General Theme of The Analects • “A man should lead an upright life, educate himself, and contribute to the betterment of society.” • The superior man respects elders, cultivates friendship of good people, and presides over his subordinates with a fair and even hand. • The superior man continually educates himself, loves his fellow human beings, and sets a good example for others to follow.

6. Style of the Analects • Many passages are presented in the form of conversation • Others are epigrams (a concise, clever, often paradoxical statement) that stand alone as wise and memorable. • The statements make frequent use of parallel structure and antithesis.