Three Characteristics Of Confucianism

The author of the reading, Yao, mentioned in the preface that “Confucianism as a tradition with many dimensions and as an ancient tradition with contemporary appeal”. It is no doubt that in Confucianism, have suggested several main objectives of conservative ideologies which included but not limited to the authoritarianism, hierarchical order, conformity, and status quo; yet Confucianism also practiced some core parts of liberal philosophies. Confucianism suggested the equality, moral autonomy as well as bringing out the importance of social and political reform. In my stands, if I have to classify whether Confucianism is conservative or liberal, it is neither of them. Instead, the interference of the Confucian concept of our society is more …show more content…
(Yao, X. 2000. An Introduction to Confucianism, page 4) It was one of the “hundred school of thoughts” established during the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history (771 to 476) it then it became one of the most famous schools of thoughts throughout the Chinese history. Confucianism idea can be found in the ways of life, and it provided the doctrine of ways that people should live their lives, it is interrelated with each one another. Confucian learning tradition is known for three characteristics, the first characteristic of Confucianism is that the followers of this ideologist are people who are well educated and civilized in some means that they will demonstrate the idea of Confucianism that “Confucius learning preference is always given to the virtuous way of life”. The second characteristic is that the Confucians are indulging their lives to interpreting, found out from the history about the meanings and motives of passing over the Confucius meanings towards the next generations. As they had found out the true meanings of Confucianism, the last characteristic will be the Confucians will try their best to spread out the values of Confucianism, from ethics to political, personal to public, from china to western, in all ways by people’s lives. (Yao, X. 2000. An Introduction to Confucianism, page 30) Throughout the history, I believed that this can tell the successfulness of the Confucians …show more content…
Confucianism can support the conservatives in the ideas on conformity, hierarchy, proprietary, and authoritarianism; whereas on the other hand, it can bring up the idea of equality, morality, humaneness and righteousness of liberalism. There are a close interrelations among the Confucianism theories, and people should not be simply concluded into either conservative or liberal. Confucianism theories were developed based on the long Chinese ancient history, it witnessed and adjusted with more than twenty centuries of time of world’s political and social changes. Confucianism is an all rounded with various forms of ideologies from all over the world, it has its definition for determining factors of ideologies, it is interrelated with one another, based on the partial facts of any of the Confucian theories to conclude some normative or objective statements are not recommended. However, if people used Confucianism as an insight for understanding the social or political behavior of the recent or the ancient society, it is more than appreciated, and they will sure have fun and admire the detailed thoughts and flawless ideology that Confucius had brought up. Last but not least, instead of concluding Confucianism is liberal or conservatives, I strongly encouraged people should start thinking of treating