Influence of Confucianism on China Essay

Confucianism is a system of philosophy and religious make out that sprouted in china slightly 500 B. C. E, and which has had a tremendous trespass on Chinese culture and authorities since. It was created by a social philosopher named Kong-Fu-Tzu, who creation convinced of his ability to restore clubhouse to the world devised a philosophy of moral philosophy and social duty. Unlike other political philosophies of the time such as legalism, Confucius fixed importance on proper activity through a moral codification, non a legal code.This moral code was solidified with the threat of intense ruth, both in the eyes of the living and in those of your ancestors who watch over your actions. But in codifying his philosophies in such a manner, he withal set his own short-sightedness, misogyny and dated thinking into an immutable ethics that plagues the Chinese to this day. It is in this way that whatever positive characteristics of Confucianism take a crap way to the degenera tion of politicians and the serious detriment of the imagination of filial piety as laid depressed by Confucius disciples.And furthermore, it is difficult to address these issues inside the scope of Confucianism because they be the ways of quaint wisdom transmitted by Confucius, and be treated as immutably guileless. So, the injustice of Confucianism and the social inconsistency it promotes plagued chinaware for millennia steady to this day in some respects. Indeed, I believe Confucianism has had on overall proscribe match on China. Confucianism, like Hinduism with its codification of Manu, has a hierarchical system that separates peoples into castes decree by heaven.These castes argon slightly less(prenominal) specific than in the aforementioned example, further they are smooth a really real dynamic in Confucian thought. Each person is considered to have duties to trusted people or filial piety (Confucius, 45), a subject must make his h/er formula, a electric razor must respect h/er sustains, a wife must observe her husband. And though these relationships are reciprocal, as a normal has a duty in addition to his subject, they are each organized in regard to a overlord to h/er humble. Rulers are seen as having a Mandate from Heaven, and to disobey your normal is to bring shame upon yourself and your relatives.So not merely was there legal recoil for disobedience, only if also the engrained shame of having disobeyed at all, counterbalance if you are being wronged or abused. Besides these stringent class divisions, women are treated as intrinsically modest to men as a whole, reservation it exceedingly difficult for Chinese women. young-begetting(prenominal) offspring are extremely all-important(a) to a family as the Chinese augur heredity through the young-begetting(prenominal) parent and a grown son put up be considered in breach of his filial piety, and thus shame his family, if he does not give birth to a son.As mention ed earlier, a woman must also obey her husband as infract of her filial piety. To do otherwise would be to shame herself and her family. Moreover, a womans duty to her family demands that she marry whomever her parents see fit, which makes her see to both her parents, and to a man whom she did not choose as her spouse. In the have of Mencius, it describes women as living through tercet subordinations, to their fathers as a child, to their husbands as an adult, and to their sons in old age (Lin Yu Tang, 743). exclusively in all, Confucianism served to heighten the struggles of women in an already immemorial society.Having been introduced to these inequalities in Confucian thought, it may tot up as little surprise that Confucius draw a serious mandate of the deposit over the individual. Those in such castes as were seen fit to rule over others afforded themselves a majuscule deal power, and little can be do to challenge a hierarchy in which defiance means shame in the eyes of all your ancestors. Subjects owe filial piety to their ruler, and as such a ruler must be righteous in his actions, only when is considered the clear superior to the control. Should a ruler not conform to his duties properly, the peasants are still controlled by him.So, enchantment the ruler can break his duties to his subjects and still retain the power to control them, the ruled must risk a great deal in breaking their duties to the tyrant. Thus, the concept of filial piety to ones ruler only serves to embed tyrants, and does not provide whatever real recourse should a ruler break his own supposed filial piety to the ruled. An interesting example of this clear up of filial piety to a ruler can be seen in the Chinese support of Songs, in which this poem appears in the section set aside for kinsperson and peasant songs To be rejoiced in are ye, noble men, The foundations of the convey.To be rejoiced in are ye, noble men May your historic period be myriads and without end (Nan-Shan-You-Tai, Poem 172). That such a poem might be considered a folk song seems extraneous as it seeks only to glorify noblemen. such is the bias engrained in the low-down that the noblemen in a higher place them were to be rejoiced in. some other(prenominal)(prenominal) of the some important tents of Confucianism is deference to, and respect for your superiors, peculiarly your parents. Filial piety to ones parents is paramount in Chinese families, and there are some(prenominal) stories of children in ancient times that went to crackbrained measures to please their parents.Some of the known ways that children have been made to bend to their parents pass on borders on utter child abuse. unitary story speaks of a child named second Tzu-chien who let himself nearly freeze to devastation to appease a cruel step stick (Brians, para. 4). Another relates the bilgewater of Wu Meng, a boy in the Chin Dynasty who purportedly let his intumesce be feasted upon by mosqui toes numbering in the hundreds so they would not feed on his parents (Brians, para. 5). A particularly telling tale of this kind is the story of Kuo Chi, who lived during the Han Dynasty, was very poor, and who cared for his experience and three year old son.He could not feed either fully, and his mother very much gave a portion of her forage to her grandson so he would not hunger. Kuo Chi having seen this, told his wife It would be better if we bury our son. We can always get another son, but it is impossible to get another Mother. Kuo Chi then dug a grave in which to bury his son, but upon completing it he found a pot of gold which read Officials cannot handle it, people may not take away it (Brians, para. 6-7).Kuo Chi was rewarded for his willingness to sacrifice the life of his inferior duty (his son) in favor of his greater duty to his mother. While the level of integrity in such ancient stories is suspect, they fight down the way in which Confucius idea of filial piet y could be bent to capture for horrible injustice and child abuse. Confucian disciples also instituted a National examination System for political office. The purpose of which was to cover up that rulers were chosen on merit and not on lineage.But though Confucius aware a thorough bringing up disregardless of class, it was simply not the case in much of China. Learning was important, but the poor simply could not afford to give their children the full range of education necessary to succeed in the examinations. China became a watered-down sort of Oligarchy where only those wealthy copious to give their children a thorough education could hope to see their children into public office, and disparity between castes increased because of it. Meritocracy can not exist where equality of opportunity does not.All of these things can be considered unjust, unfair and even despicable in some instances, but the notion of changing them is difficult piece maintaining Confucianism because l ike most philosophy grow in spirituality, to deny the prophet often is seen as denying heaven. The traditional Chinese were severely moderate by Confucianism because they believed any departure from the righteous way of life bring down by Confucius could lead to great shame and sorrow, to complacency and stagnation. And yet, Confucianism has tarryd in China even to modern times, though the communist Government seeks to be rid of it. parvenue troubles have been loosed because of Confucianism including but not limited to sex specific infanticide in which feminine babies are aborted in favor of potent children because the Chinese Government has placed a cap on the number of children a family can have. The strong preference for male children, fed by Confucianism, is directly prudent for this horror. What new problems these outmoded ways of thinking, thousands of age dated, will bring up no one can tell. But as long as the tenets of Confucianism meet transgressors with shame a nd derision, it will no doubt continue to have a negative impact on China as a whole.Works Cited Confucius and Jennings, William trans. The Confucian Analects. unsanded York George Routledge and Sons, Limited, 1895. Waley, Arthur trans. Book of Songs The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry. New York Grove Press, 1996. Yutang, Lin ed. The Wisdom of India and China.New York stochastic House, 1942. Brians, Paul. Examples of Filial Piety (14th Century CE). adaptation About the World, Volume I. 1998. Washington State University. 23 Mar. 2006, .