Confucianism is an ancient and complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Generally speaking, Confucianism is not considered a religion by Chinese or other East Asian people, but rather an ancient Chinese ethical and philosophical system.
Confucius was a sage and social philosopher of China whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia. He did not rely on deductive reasoning to convince his listeners, but used figures of rhetoric such as analogy and aphorism to explain his ideas.
He believed that social disorder often stemmed from failure to perceive, understand and deal with reality.
Confucianism performs rituals and the main process is Internalization. Formalized behavior becomes progressively internalized, desires are channeled and personal cultivation becomes the mark of social correctness.
Another Confucian concept is that in order to govern others, one must first govern oneself.
A simple way to appreciate Confucian thought is to consider it as being based on varying levels of honesty.
Several names for Confucianism exist in Chinese are: School of the Scholars, Teaching of the Scholar, Study of the Scholars and Teaching of Confucius. |
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