Confucianism and Chinese Political Culture

1
Confucianism and Chinese Political Culture

• The legacy of more than 2000 years history

2
Confucius 551-479 B.C.

• Great transformation and turbulence the Zhou
  King ignored deposed, three sub-lords divided
  Jin disorder or moral decline?
• The need for a political philosophy as a
  foundation of governance and to regulate
  behavior Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism
• Confucius a teacher of in one of many private
  schools, aiming at producing learned men to serve
  kings as political/military advisors

3
Key Concepts

• Ren (benevolence) ?,two persons, i.e.
  interpersonal relations and the rules governing
  them,
• Five classic relationships father-son,
  ruler-subject, husband-wife, elder-younger
  brothers, friend-friend
• Yi (righteousness) ?,moralistic and abstract
• Yi Shi a subject or son sacrifice himself for
  the rule or the father
• Yi Nu a wife committing suicide when facing
  possible rape to show her absolute loyalty to her
  husband

4

• Li (hierarchical order and rituals) ?,emphasis is
  on the obedience, filial piety, and loyalty on
  the inferior party, while ren on the superior
  party
• Zhi (knowledge wisdom) ?,learning became
  virtue, a divide between gentlemen and little
  men,
• The range of skills of learned men ?
  (calligraphy),? (Lute),? (chess),? (painting),
• Xin (truthful trustworthy) ?,Should a son lie
  to protect his unlawful father from state
  prosecution?

5
Court music instrument found in a tomb of 433 BC
6
The nature and influence of Confucianism

• Authoritarianism based on collectivist
  conception, as opposed to individualist
  conception
• Hierarchical structure one is born unequal to
  any others, one thus needs to know his/her place
  and behave accordingly, which lead to
• Status-consciousness, and role play in
  accordance to ones status
• Each play his/her role by behavioral codes would
  ensue harmony and well being

7
Legalism as a political philosophy

• Belief in the born to be evil human nature
  pleasure/interest seeking, while avoiding
  labor/punishment (original sin?)
• The rulers responsibility to issue explicit laws
  to regulate human behavior
• Steep punishment to deter bad behavior laziness
  unlawfulness
• Hefty reward to encourage good behavior land or
  money for high productivity or military deeds
• The Qin rulers as legalist believers and
  practitioners

8
Daoism as a political philosophy

• A naturalistic philosophy with an emphasis on
  going with the flow, the law of nature
  human or human society is governed by the same
  law of nature
• The concept of wuwei (??), no action go with
  the law of nature,
• Romanticizing primitive tribal/village life,
  championing less government action, the better,
• State-sponsored ideology in the first hundred
  years of the Han Dynasty.