Cicero And Confucius Analysis

Differences Between the Views of Cicero and Confucius Throughout the history, many civilizations have emerged with their own views on the ideal governmental structure. Cicero and Confucius both presented their own versions of the ideal government structures in Republic and Analects, respectively. Both philosophers agree with the idea that the rulers have been given a sort of divine right to rule, but they must be morally upright in order to keep this right to rule. The difference in their ideologies becomes more apparent when viewing the power structures of their ideal governments. While Confucius argues that a monarch should lead his people by being morally upright, Cicero argues that the ideal government is a balanced blend between a monarchy, …show more content…
By having an aristocracy, a monarch, as well as an additional judicious structure, Cicero sets up his government in a way where each part of the government can ensure that another part does not do something wrong (Cicero 32). This is similar to the system of checks and balances found in the United States Constitution where the executive, legislative, and judicial branches function in a manner similar to that of Cicero’s monarchy, aristocracy and judicial structure. When all branches of government are able to keep an eye on the other branches, each branch is less likely to become corrupt or go astray. The Confucian view of government provides no such form of accountability within the government. Within the strict hierarchical structure of Confucian society, the bureaucracy and all citizens must serve beneath the emperor since “whatever a gentleman conceives of, he must be able to say; and whatever he says, he must be able to do” (Confucius 13.3). Confucius implies that the gentleman, in this case the emperor, must have total power within the society so that he may implement all of his ideas. Without any internal accountability in Confucian society, there is a higher chance of the government making extreme decisions that would cause the commoners to revolt or overthrow the …show more content…
Confucius claims, “Raise the straight and set them above the crooked, and you will win the hearts of the people” (Confucius 2.19). Promotion of merit allows the government to be run by qualified individuals who are able to effectively run a government and minimize the risk of revolt. On the other, if the government was run through corruption or wealth, “the people will deny you their support” (Confucius 2.19). This idea of only allowing qualified individuals run the government is not explicitly stated in Cicero’s view of government. Cicero argues that the ideal statesman would be just (Cicero 57-58) and that a good leader understands the workings of the universe (Cicero 90), but he does not state that just because a man is just or knowledgeable, he should be raised above others. However, Cicero’s addition of aristocracy to his government makes up for this. In Cicero’s government, “the leader himself has embraced all the values which he preaches and recommends to his citizens, where he imposes no laws on the people which he does not obey himself” (Cicero 24). If everyone, including the leader, is judged using a single set of laws, lawmakers are more likely to ensure that the laws are just and benefit all citizens of the society. Such laws would be acceptable by the population and serve the same purpose of appeasing the general populous and minimizing any chances of