Besides the new interpretations which Confucius gave to the classics, he had his own ideas about the individual and society, heaven and man.In regard to society, he held that in order to have a well-ordered one, the most important thing is to carry out wh...[继续阅读]

    With regard to the virtues of the individual, Confucius emphasized human-heartedness and righteousness, especially the former. Righteousness (yi) means the “oughtness” of a situation. It is a categorical imperative. Every one in society has certain things...[继续阅读]

    In the Analects we find the passage: “When Chung Kung asked the meaning of jen, the master said:‘. . . Do not do to others what you do not wish yourself. . . . ’”[1] Again, Confucius is reported in the Analects as saying: “The man of jen is one who, desir...[继续阅读]

    From the idea of righteousness, the Confucianists derived the idea of “doing for nothing.” One does what one ought to do, simply because it is morally right to do it, and not for any consideration external to this moral compulsion. In the Analects, we are...[继续阅读]

    In the Taoist work, the Chuang-tzu, we see that the Taoists often ridiculed Confucius as one who confined himself to the morality of human-heartedness and righteousness, thus being conscious only of moral values, and not super-moral value. Superficially t...[继续阅读]

    Confucius is probably better known in the West than any other single Chinese. Yet in China itself, though always famous, his place in history has changed considerably from one period to another. Historically speaking he was primarily a teacher, that is, o...[继续阅读]

    During the feudal age of the Chou dynasty, kings, princes, and feudal lords all had their military specialists. These were the hereditary warriors who constituted the backbone of the armies of that time. With the disintegration of feudalism that took plac...[继续阅读]

    According to Mo Tzu, “the principles of the Confucianists ruin the whole world in four ways”:(1) The Confucianists do not believe in the existence of God or of spirits, “with the result that God and the spirits are displeased.” (2) The Confucianists insis...[继续阅读]

    Mo Tzu makes no criticism of the Confucianists central idea of jen (human-heartedness) and yi (righteousness); in the Mo-tzu, indeed, he speaks often of these two qualities and of the man of jen and man of yi. What he means by these terms, however, differ...[继续阅读]

    There remains, however, a basic question:How to persuade people thus to love one another? One may tell them, as was said above, that the practice of all-embracing love is the only way to benefit the world and that every human-hearted man is one who practi...[继续阅读]