The Philosophy of Confucius Essay Example for Free

The Philosophy of Confucius Essay For my essay I have decided to analyze the philosophy of Confucius as seen in The Analects or Lunyu ( ). I will be focusing primarily on what I have found to be the key components underlying Confucian ethics; Filial Piety (Xiao) (? ), Ritual Propriety (Li) (? ) and Authoritative Conduct (Ren) (? ). These three moral concepts are integral aspects of Confucian role ethics; they develop as a counterpart to western philosophy such as Immanuel Kant’s ethics of duty and have remained to this day sound and honourable ideologies that people should live their lives in accordance with. Confucianism has had the most the most prevalent influence on Chinese society for nearly two thousand years (c100BC-1900AD), it affected all aspects of Chinese life; education, politics and personal conduct in both one’s private and public affairs. It became the paramount school of thought and later significant philosophies such as Daoism and Legalism would take their lead from Confucianism. The Chinese government made Confucianism the official state philosophy but that is not to say didn’t fall out of favour over the last two thousand years; from c.200-600AD there was a severe decline in followers as a result of the emergence of Buddhism and Daoism but Confucianism was fully revived by 700AD. In 1100s came Neo-Confucianism, innovated by Zhu-Xi, focussing more on Li and aspects of human nature and in the 1900s Confucianism fell out of favour with western beliefs such as communism. However all government opposition to communism ended by 1977 and Confucianism is now being embraced again in both eastern and western cultures. Confucius is known to the Chinese as ‘Kung Fu-tzu’ ( ) which has been Latinized by Europeans to Confucius. He was born in 551BC amidst the chaos of political instability and constant warring of the Zhou era into a poor family of the lower nobility. Throughout his life he made numerous attempts to gain an office with a prominent ruler willing to implement his concepts, after failing to do so he dedicated his life to teaching and accumulated an impressive amount of disciples, including Mencius and Xunzi. Confucius’ followers took it upon themselves to document and formulate their own interpretations of his interactions and teachings as Confucius never wrote anything down himself. These records of Confucius’ philosophy can now be found in The Analects which has been translated into many languages and sold millions of copies around the world. Xiao or the notion of Filial Piety is probably the most definitive sentiment associated with Confucianism. Xiao is usually highlighted by western interpreters as it does not comply with western values and for this reason was not used as a starting point for promoting Confucianism in the western world. Confucius discusses Xiao in the context of identifying states of order and disorder in society. In a time of constant warfare Confucius conceded that this a social behaviour was due to a lack of Xiao, in The Analects Confucius tells us that a man with filial piety is unlikely to revolt in society or defy the authority of his superiors; â€Å"A man filial to his parents, a good brother, yet apt to go against his superiors – few are like that! †. Confucius gives numerous definitions of Xiao to different students he explains that Xiao is the root of moral excellence. Like a plant, Xiao has to take place at the beginning of one’s life in order for it to flourish; â€Å"The gentleman operates at the root. When the root is firm, then the Way may proceed†. Confucius emphasized that it was imperative for people to develop this notion of Xiao in which younger generations were obliged develop emotional immediacy to their next of kin, an element of devotion was expected. Confucius put great importance in conducting numerous rituals for varying occasions; he found it essential to the well-being of society. Religious activity was geared toward the worshipping of ancestors. When an elder died the children of the deceased were expected to undertake a three year mourning period in which they completed altered their living conditions to bear minimum and did not partake in any social conventions such as work or celebratory events; â€Å"When a gentleman is mourning, he gets no pleasure from eating sweet foods, finds no joy in listening to music, and feels no comfort in his place of dwelling. This is why he gives up these things† Many considered three years to be an excessive period of time as we see when Zai Wo asks Confucius if he can limit the mourning period to one year and Confucius considers him perverse, he explains that only after being fully tended to for three years can one leave their parents’ bosom, parents alter their lives to accommodate the birth and raising of a child regardless of social convention. Similarly in Chinese culture it is thought that when a person dies they enter the spirit world in which they are once again rendered â€Å"new-borns† and need the care and devotion of their descendents to begin life there. It is reciprocity between generations, an exchange of unconditional loyalty and love. Xiao is initially established in these undertakings. Ritual propriety or Li involves perfecting the art of self-governing and restraint, it refers to the secular functions of everyday life such as all formal conduct, from table manners to patterns of greeting and leave-taking, to graduations, weddings, funerals, from gestures of deference to ancestral sacrifices . Li is the mechanism by which one conveys their respect and gratuity to their elders and superiors; it also encompasses how one should act social in order to earn respect and honour in return. It is appropriate behaviour in the sense that it promotes and enhances relationships in a community. This was essential as the social context of the Chinese was focussed on communal living, therefore Confucius tries to instruct people on how to live harmoniously with their families. Everything one says and does is brought into consideration under the concept of ritual propriety; â€Å"Look at nothing in defiance of ritual, listen to nothing in defiance of ritual, speak of nothing in defiance of ritual, never stir hand or foot in defiance of ritual†. The aesthetic aspect of Confucius is not to understand morality and judge but rather become more skilful in engaging the people around you in your endeavours, everyone has a role in society and they must uphold it. Devoting yourself to ritual is not the same as shunning your own desires and emotions; it’s the ability to reconcile one’s own desires amicably within the social context you are occupying. In the Analects Confucius explains that by curbing our own personal agendas we can learn to appreciate the conventions of society which allows it to function harmoniously, he also stresses that with age and experience one can only truly gain this appreciation; â€Å"When I attained the age of fifteen, I became bent on study. At thirty I was a confirmed student. At, nought could move me from my course. At fifty, I comprehended the will and decrees of heaven. At sixty, my ears were attuned (to them). At seventy, I could follow my hearts desires without overstepping the lines of rectitude†. Confucius also stressed the importance of sincerity, he felt that without possessing a genuine interest in the well-being of others whatever ceremonial manners one undertook it would signify nothing. He felt that rites should not be looked upon simply as conventions by which we did things but they should be practiced with complete reverence and honesty; â€Å"He sacrificed to the dead as if they were present. He sacrificed to the spirits as if the spirits were present. The Master said, ‘I consider my not being present at the sacrifice as though there were no sacrifice’ In the tenth book of The Analects we are effectively given the portrait of how one contending with Li should behave. The examples are given under the pretence of Confucius as a person himself and how he conducted himself. They give us direction as how to act appropriately and â€Å"how to serve the spirits to bring about good fortune†. Each passage gives shows us a different scenario and Confucius’ exemplary behaviour in that context, a few examples are; â€Å"While eating he would not converse, and having retired for the night he would not talk†, â€Å"In asking after the well-being of a friend in another state, he would bow twice before sending the messenger on his way†, â€Å"In sleeping he did not assume the posture of a corpse, and when at home alone, he did not kneel in a formal posture as though entertaining guests† and â€Å" On meeting someone in mourning dress, even those on intimate terms, he would invariably take on a solemn appearance. On meeting someone wearing a ceremonial cap or someone who is blind, even though they were frequent acquaintances, he would invariably pay his respects†. These passages made Confucius the epitome of courtliness and personal decorum for succeeding generations of Chinese officials. The final focal point of Confucianism is Ren or Authoritative conduct, references to Ren appear over one hundred times in the Analects. Ren is comprised of two elements, a person and the number two, emphasizing how our own person can only be cultivated through interactions with other people as Herbert Fingarette states; â€Å"For Confucius, unless there are at least two human beings, there can be no human beings†. Ren consists of five basic virtues; seriousness, generosity, sincerity, diligence and kindness. It is the basis of Confucian political theory, he felt that if a ruler lacked Ren it would effectively be impossible for his subjects to act humanely, he believed that people who had this mastered moral excellence inherent to Ren should be put into positions of political power; â€Å"The Master said; If people are proper in personal conduct, others will follow suit without need of command. But if they are not proper, even when they command, others will not obey†. Confucius felt that the political intuitions in his era had completely lost their legitimacy, he felt that this was due to tyrannical behaviour in the sense that those in control lacked certain attributes such as Ren, vital to successfully ruling and were not worthy of the positions they held. We can observe through Confucius the idea that a ruler, whether good or bad has an  effectively contagious effect on his subjects and if he lacks the necessary qualities that deem him worthy to rule, his subjects will similarly lack the qualities that enable them to serve efficiently, everyone most uphold their truthful role in society to achieve harmonious functioning; â€Å"Good government consists of the ruler being a ruler, the minister being a minister, the father being a father, and the son being a son†. To cultivate one’s Ren one might look to Confucius’ ethics of reciprocity and perhaps his most famous teaching of all time, the golden rule which has been taken since the time of Confucius been included as part of numerous different religions and ideologies such as Christianity; â€Å"Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself. † Interestingly, unlike Mencius and Xunzi, Confucius did not seem overly concerned about the root of human nature and whether we are innately good or bad but he did say â€Å"Human Beings are similar in their natural tendencies, but vary greatly by virtue of their habits†, implying that Confucius perceived all men to be born with intrinsic value that can be shaped or moulded by study and practice. After reading and analysing The Analects of Confucius I think it’s clearly that it is the three components of Xiao, Li and Ren that are most predominant in his philosophy but that is not to say there weren’t other valuable concepts that are crucial to Confucianism such as Xin (? ) and Yi (? ) but they are beyond the scope of this essay. Confucius Bibliography -Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press Dawson, M. M (1915). The ethics of Confucius: the sayings of the master and his disciples upon the conduct of the superior man. US: Putnam Riegel, J. (2006). Confucius. Available: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/confucius/. Last accessed 5/12/11. Ames, R. Hall, D. , (1987), Thinking Through Confucius. Albany: SUNY Press.. Slingerland, E. G (2003). Confucius analects: with selections from traditional commentaries. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing -Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. 51 Name: Shauna O’Mahony Date: 07/11/11 Module: Chinese Philosophy (PH2023) Essay title: Philosophy of Confucius. Word Count: 2,285 [ 1 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (1. 1) [ 2 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (1. 2) [ 3 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (17. 21) [ 4 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. pg51 [ 5 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (12. 1) [ 6 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (2. 4) [ 7 ]. Watson, B (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia: Columbia University Press (3. 12) [ 8 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. Random House Publishing Group. pg51 [ 9 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (10. 10) [ 10 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (10. 15) [ 11 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (10. 24) [ 12 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (10. 25) [ 13 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. Pg 48 [ 14 ]. Confucius, Ames, R.T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (13. 6) [ 15 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (12. 11) [ 16 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (15. 24) [ 17 ]. Confucius, Ames, R. T, Rosemont, H (1999). The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. : Random House Publishing Group. (17. 2).

Comparing Symbolism in Poe :: essays research papers

Comparing the Symbolism of the Houses in the Red Death and House of Usher   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most stories have occurrences of symbolism. Symbols are used everyday in many different ways. For instance, the Bald Eagle is used to symbolize the determination and nobility of our United States of America. In both the Masque of the Red Death and the Fall of the House of Usher, the symbolic nature of the House plays an imperative role.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The House in the Red Death was a very elaborate and colorful establishment. Each room inside of this enormous house is decorated in a different hue. The easternmost room is decorated in blue, with blue stained-glass windows. The next room is purple with the same color stained-glass windows, then green, then orange, then white, then violet. The seventh room is black, with red windows. Accompanying this last room is a giant wooden clock. Every hour on the hour the clock emits a deafening gong, which puts an immediate halt to any ongoing activities. The fact that the rooms go from east to west is supposed to symbolize life on earth. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Our life cycle also follows that pattern. If you look at a typical twenty-four hour day, the day is â€Å"born† in the east and â€Å"dies† in the west. Along with the rooms following an east to west pattern, the color schemes in the rooms also follow this pattern. The first rooms go from blue, which represents the beginning of the day, or life, to purple, green, orange and finally the white room represents noontime. Next comes violet followed by the last room, which is black with red windows symbolizing the end of the day, or the end of life. The whole purpose of these rooms being decorated in the first place is due to the fact that Prince Prospero has decided to throw a ball for all the rich people in the nearby village, which is being plagued by a fatal disease known as the Red Death. All the rich folk run away to the mansion in hopes of eluding the Red Death. In the meantime at the ball, everyone is having a great time. It seems as though they are almost disregarding the fact that there is a plague going on. They almost have the mentality that as long as they hide out in the mansion, they will be immune to the Red Death.

Contingency Approach to Management

Contingency approach to management is a modern approach that has attempted to integrate findings of other perspectives. Contingency refers to the immediate (contingent or touching) circum ­stances.This approach was developed during 1960s and 1970s and based on the idea that it is impossible to select one way of managing all situations, and for this reason managers have to identify the conditions of a task, managerial job and persons as parts of a complete management situation and attempt to integrate them all into a solution which is most appropriate for a specific circumstance.The main contributors are Fred Fiedler (1967), Jay Lorsch, Paul Lawrence, Joan Woodward, etc (The Contingency Approach to Management, 2006). According to contingency approach, the manager has to try systematically to identify which technique or approach will, in a particular circumstance or context, best contribute to the attainment of the desired goals.The distinctive feature of this approach is that it see ks to apply to real life situations ideas taken from different schools of management thought. The problem is that there is no a universal approach to management, and for this reason different problems require different approaches. Also, the contingency approach stresses the need for managers to examine the relationship between the internal and external envi ­ronment of an organization.â€Å"Contingency analysis indicates, for example, that a set of complex tasks are necessary to bring about significant educational improvements, planners can sequence the tasks in ways that allow managers to focus on less complex problems before tackling more difficult ones† (Amey, 1986). Organizational requirements, culture and structure are constantly changing and needed continual efforts to maintain effective work ­ing relationships.The con ­tingency approach examines each situation to find out its unique attributes before management makes a decision.This approach can be described as t ask-oriented, because decisions are made in each individual situation. In spite of evident benefits and advantages, this approach is criticized because most of the decisions are intuitive and lack theoretical foun ­dation (Amey, 1986). ReferencesAmey, L.R. (1986). A Conceptual Approach to Management. Durham, NC: Praeger Publishers.The Contingency Approach to Management. (2006) Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Comp-De/Contingency-Approach-to-Management.html

The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin - 871 Words

Tick tock, tick tock goes the clock. What is time? A second, minute, hour, day, month or year, the list can go on; for time is eternity. As a matter of fact, time is measured and it must move forward. But more importantly, time is the essence of life. The average person considers time as measured and predictable. However, What about the time people create in their minds? Some call it psychological time, others call it time of the heart. Either way, this type of time consists of hope, opportunity and anticipation. Subconscious time is not a cycle, it can move forward or backwards in a flash. Thus, there are no rules to how time is spent in the mind. In the short story, â€Å"The Story of An Hour† Kate Chopin not only uses chronological time, she also dives into the psychological aspect of time as one woman’s life takes a drastic change in the course of sixty minutes. As the story begins, Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and family friend Richards take care in informing Mrs. Mallard of her husband’s death; for Mrs. Mallard has â€Å"heart Trouble† (476), and must be given the news gently. However, time doesn’t stop as it would for others who hear such news. As Chopin illustrates, â€Å"She did not hear the story as many woman have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.† (476). Chopin is using the term paralyzed as if to say, time has the ability to halt in moments of extreme grief. However, only the human mind can â€Å"stop† time. Instead, Mrs. Mallard’sShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1241 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a wonderful short story bursting with many peculiar twists and turns. Written in 1894, the author tells a tale of a woman who learns of her husband’s death, but comes to find pleasure in it. Many of the elements Kate Chopin writes about in this story symbolize something more than just the surface meaning. Through this short story, told in less than one thousand one hundred words, Kate Chopin illustrates a deeper meaning of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage with herRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Story of an Hour In the â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, is about pleasure of freedom and the oppression of marriage. Just like in Kate Chopin’s story, inside most marriages, even the ones that seem to be the happiest, one can be oppressed. Even though, one might seem to be happy deep inside they miss the pleasure of freedom and living life to the fullest. Just like, in this story Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and when she hears about her husband’s death she first feels distraught, but ultimatelyRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1457 Words   |  6 PagesEmotions and Death Everyone who reads a story will interpret things slightly different than the person who reads it before or after him or her. This idea plays out with most every story, book, song, and movie. These interpretations create conflict and allow people to discuss different ideas and opinions. Without this conflict of thought there is no one devoting time to debate the true meaning of a text. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† tells about a woman who is informed of her husbands deathRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin987 Words   |  4 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† reader’s see a potentially long story put into a few pages filled with rising action, climax and even death. In the beginning of the story, character Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition, is told of the death of her husband by her sister and one of her husband’s friends. Afterwards Mrs. Mallard is filled with emptiness and then joy of freedom. This joy of freedom is actually what consequently leads to her death in the end when she discoversRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1061 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, readers are introduced to characters whose lives change drastically in the course of this writing. Through Kate Chopin’s story we can identify many different themes and examples of symbolism in her writing. Chopin’s choice of themes in this writing are no surprise due to the time frame of which this story was written. Chopin often wrote stories with of women’s rights, and is noted as one of America’s first open feminists. As this story of an ill, helplessRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin expresses Ms. Mallard’s feelings towards her husband’s death in an appalling train accident. Due to her bad heart, her sister Josep hine had to be the bearer of bad news and approach his death gently to her. According to the quote, â€Å" But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought†, it lets us know thatRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin998 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The story of an hour† by Kate Chopin was a story that was ironical yet profoundly deep. As a student I have been asked to read â€Å"a story of an hour† many times, and every time I’m surprised by how I enjoy it. People can read thousands of stories in their life times and only a handful will every stand out to them, stories that can draw out an emotion or spark a thought are the ones that will standout more. For me and â€Å"a story of an hour† the thought of freedom is what draws me the most as a teenageRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kat e Chopin1542 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story, â€Å"Story of an Hour†, Kate Chopin writes about a woman with heart trouble, Mrs. Mallard, who, in finding out about the death of her husband, Mr. Mallard, experiences some initial feelings of sadness which quickly transition into the exhilarating discovery of the idea of a newfound freedom lying in front of her. When it is later revealed that her husband is not actually dead, she realizes she will not get to taste that freedom. The devastation kills her. What Mrs. Mallard goes throughRead MoreThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin596 Words   |  2 PagesIn â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Kate Chopin focuses on the idea of freedom throughout the story. Mrs. Mallard is a lonely wife who suffers from heart trouble. She is told by her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards that her husband has passed away in a train accident. She locks herself in a room expecting to be devastated, but instead feels freedom. Later, she exits her room and her husband walks through the door, causing her to die of a heart attack. Chopin uses this story to demonstrateRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin886 Words   |  4 Pages In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the reader is presented with the theme of prohibited independence. In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Storm†, the scenery in this story builds the perfect atmosphere for an adulterous affair. The importance of these stories is to understand the era they occurred. Kate Chopin wrote stories with exceptional openness about sexual desires. In â€Å"The Storm†, a short story written by Kate Chopin in a time when women were expected to act a certain way and sexual cravings was considered