How was Confucius a revolutionary?
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, was a Chinese philosopher who lived between 551 B.C. and 479 B.C. He founded the school of thought, Confucian, which made much revolutionaries in the political and social arena of the Chinese people. Indeed, Confucius was a revolutionary leader who sought to liberate people from extremist Chinese leaders. Confucius was born in a humble background and remained unemployed for a long time.
However, at one point in his life, Confucius joined the government as a tax collector. The social conditions of the people living in abject poverty left him unsettled though working for the government. Contrary to the expectations of the Chinese people, this situation disenfranchised Confucius up to the point of leaving his government post. He embarked in the mission of preaching ethics and good moral standards to the leaders who has chosen the exact opposite.
He managed to hoard ample political power to create a new dynasty and agreed to work with the Zhou dynasty in the East. Later on, the states rejected his teachings but he returned home and continued his teachings. Nevertheless, his philosophies had spread near and far through disciples such as Mencius and Xun Zi who made sure Confucianism became a moral and political dogma- a revolution achieved diametrically (Confucius and Leys 1-14).
How was Confucius a conservative?
It is true Confucius and hence, Confucianism was a conservative religion that served to strengthen established institutions and hoary social dissections. So many scholars have agues on whether Confucius was a conservative or enterprising. For instance, in his teachings, Confucius called for a positive spirit in governance.
Additionally, Confucius highlighted more on the significance of morality and instigated the convention of recognition about history. Eventually, these ingredients of conservatism led to the development of a universal cultural psychology foundation of the Han Nation. On the contrary, the ethical visions of Confucius appeared to conflict the legalistic mindset. At one point, the imperial state employed Confucian values to maintain law and order.
In fact, even in imperial families, the Confucian values became imperative where children had to respect parents, be trustworthy to the government and respect other society members. Professionals had to remain loyal to their work for instance, teachers had to remain teachers and practice ethics in teaching. Undoubtedly, Confucius exhibited conservatism and sought to maintain the status quo where institutions and social divisions remain, as they were (Confucius and Leys 23-41).
How was Confucius democratic?
Many people do not share the view that Confucius was democratic. It simply instructed people to obey, for instance, children had to obey their parents just like wives to their husbands. The students had to remain students and obey their teachers and the subjects had to comply with the emperors.
Clearly, the expression of self was limited and even if one had contrary views regarding something, the views of the superiors were final. Thus, the system advocated for obedience and not democracy. In the modern society, Confucius has no place, as elitist social class has discovered how Confucius can deny people their human rights and fundamental freedoms (Chuan 20-21).
How was Confucius an elitist?
It is true Confucius was as elitist who wrote much and attracted many scholars into his school of thought. Although some scholars criticize his writings, Confucius came up with philosophies brought ethics and morality in the traditional China. We can compare Confucius elastic nature with the left wind ideology of the founding fathers of United States as both advocated for ethics and justice to all human beings. The theories of Confucius remained resonate and sired new ideologies and enhanced social theorizing (Confucius and Leys 8-22).
Works Cited
Confucius and Leys, Simon. The Analects of Confucius. (Paperback Edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 1997. Print.
Chuan, Yang. Religion in Chinese Society, Berkeley: University of California Press. 1961. Print.