Confucianism

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Confucianism, the philosophical system founded on the teaching of Confucius dominated
Chinese sociopolitical life for most of Chinese history and largely influenced the cultures
of Korea, Japan, and Indochina. The Confucian school functioned as a recruiting ground
for government positions, which were filled by those scoring highest on examinations in
the Confucian classics. It also blended with popular and imported religions and became the
vehicle for articulating Chinese mores to the poor people. The school's doctrines
supported political authority using the theory of the mandate of heaven. It sought to help
the rulers maintain domestic order, preserve tradition, and maintain a constant standard of
living for the taxpaying people. It trained its adherents in benevolence, traditional rituals,
filial piety, loyalty, respect for superiors and for the aged, and principled flexibility in
advising rulers.
Confucius,Westerners use Confucius as the spelling for Kong Fuzi, China's first and
most famous philosopher. Confucius had a traditional personal name (Qiu, or Ch'iu) and a
formal name (Zhongni, or Chung-ni). Confucius's father died shortly after Confucius's
birth. His family fell into relative poverty, and Confucius joined a growing class of
impoverished descendants of aristocrats who made their careers by acquiring knowledge
of feudal ritual and taking positions of influence serving the rulers of the fragmented states
of ancient China. Confucius devoted himself to learning. At age 30, however, when his
short-lived official career floundered, he turned to teaching others. Confucius himself
never wrote down his own philosophy, although tradition credits him with editing some of
the historical classics that were used as texts in his school. He apparently made an
enormous impact on the lives and attitudes of his disciples, however. The book known as
the Analects, which records all the "Confucius said,"... aphorisms, w...