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Confucianism, in other words, provided structure to various sets of ideals existing at the time. Central to this structure was compassion in human relationships.
According to the Religious Tolerance Website, social harmony was achieved by means of regulating human relationships upon the basis of compassion. Most interesting in these terms is the political aspect of such relationships. Confucius held that internalized human behavior was a better regulator of the law than punishment and laws that citizens do not fully understand. In this way, the philosopher believed that an understanding of the reasons behind compassionate behavior was a better political tool than the law itself. This is a very idealistic view, but perhaps somewhat unrealistic when today's paradigms are taken into account. Human behavior is simply not based upon compassion; particularly in Western society. Furthermore, there is a profusion of belief systems and philosophies in existence today. Requiring an entire society to adhere to a single belief system is quite unrealistic. Requiring obedience to practical laws and regulations is therefore a far more realistic option for regulating society. While these philosophies are a very good springboard for further study or for a personal belief system, it is difficult to believe that they are valid for application to an entire society. This appears to be what Confucius had in mind. Today's world is simply too diverse in terms of philosophy and religion to require a single belief system from any number of collective minds at any given time. In many ways, this is both the beauty and the tragedy of the modern world. Ancient religions and philosophies are built upon simpler times, although they can still apply in the lives of modern individuals.
References
Hays, Jeffrey. History of Confucianism. Facts and Details, 2008. http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=89&catid=3
Religious Tolerance. Confucianism: Beliefs, teachings, and relationships. 2010. http://www.religioustolerance.org/confuciu2.htm
Ross, Kelley L. Confucius, K'ung-fu-tzu or Kongfuzi. 2007. http://www.friesian.com/confuci.htm
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Confucius. 2006. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/
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