Pros And Cons Of Confucius

In World History, it is important to understand not only what has happened, but also the culture in which it happened. The world in which the sayings of Confucius were spoken, written, and understood is a world much different than the one we live in today. That being said, we do see some of these basic principles in our daily lives, but to truly understand these sayings, the readers must place themselves in the shoes of the men and women who lived in the time of Confucius. One of the popular themes in The Analects is Confucius’s view on government, and in this text he lays out a blueprint for a paternalistic authoritarianism through the way he explains an effective government, and through the way he explains an effective ruler.
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In chapter one of Book 2, Confucius says that a ruler should have the values and morals that could be compared to the “pole star” (6). The “pole star,” otherwise known as the North star, is a star that a constant. It does not always stay in the exact same place, but that star stays in the night sky every night. There are a few possible interpretations of this comparison, but the one that seems most convincing is that a ruler’s stance may change as long as they are dedicated to their character remaining constant. Confucius seems to put a lot of weight on moral character, so if a ruler is a constantly moral being, that ruler should do well. Another example of Confucius’s standard of morality coming through is in the third chapter of Book 2, when Confucius says that “If you lead them (the people) by means of government and keep order among them by means of punishment, the people are without conscience in evading them. If you lead them by means of virtue and keep order among them by means of ritual, they have conscience and moreover will submit” (6). This not only says something about a specific type of moral leader, but it also says a lot about what type of government they should lead. This leader that Confucius illustrates must lead with good in mind, but mostly with the obedience of his subjects in mind, because the people will only follow a leader who has a good character. The description of this leader is very one sided, and very vague. What constituted a moral leader in Confucius’s time, and what constitutes a moral leader in modern times could be completely different, so this leader is very hard to have a true blueprint of. However, it is clear to see through these statements that Confucius seems to think that doing what is right, and keeping a strong hold on the people is possible if a ruler keeps his character as his primary