Posterity of Confucius\' Thoughts. Confucian

¶ … posterity of Confucius' thoughts.

Confucian Thought and its Influence on Pedagogy Today

Confucius says." One cliche or another usually follows the phrase "Confucius says," in everyday conversation. The words "Confucius says" are usually deployed by persons while reading fortune cookies, or repeating the hackneyed phrases of books. How easy to forget the real and lasting influence of the true teachings of this great, ancient Chinese philosopher! Through his advocacy of the principles of filial devotion (xiao), humaneness (ren) and ritual decorum (li) Confucius codified the lexicon of ideal moral values of his own society. He also phrased many of the values that are idealized in contemporary society, although modern men and women may use him as an example of "ancient Chinese wisdom" without understanding the depth of his philosophy. In his Analects and other writings, Confucius advocated the creation of a common community of moral teaching, rather than stressed the individual in isolation, and his influence is felt in the modern educational system today.

Of course, it might be argued that Confucian thought was spawned, not by the individual genius of a man, but by the needs of his own, particular society. Confucius himself said he was a transmitter, not a creator of ideas or culture, and would have welcomed rather than rejected the idea that he was merely recapitulating earlier traditions in his ideology. Cultivating morality, not creativity was this teacher's purpose. But Confucius' location in a particular cultural context hardly negates his applicability to other historical epochs. "A main concern of Confucianism is how we learn to be human. Confucian thought takes a humanistic orientation and advocates a humanistic way of life. We are, of course, all human beings, but even so, we must still consciously learn to be human. This is a highly complex process which involves commitment, continuous effort and a holistic approach." (Wei-ming, 2006)

In short, rather than see the human character as fully formed, Confucians believe that a young person's character must be built, brick by brick, or etched upon the wet clay of a tabula rasa, or the blank slate of a child's mind. This teaching must take the form of a collective, societal effort, and requires the efforts of parents, other elders, and formal teachers. On one hand, the idea that it 'takes a village to raise a child' does not idealize the natural childlike state of infancy, an age that is sentimentalized in American culture. But on the other hand, Confucian ideals also stress in a positive fashion that no child is born bad or good, rather every human being has the potential to be good or bad, depending on his or her teaching later in life.

Religious devotion or a focus on the life beyond is not the point of Confucian teaching, hence Confucius' applicability even in a secular system of values or a public school. The educator is interested on the here and now and the human, not on a life to come. Through this present-day focus, great things can be accomplished. An ordinary, poor person, if he or she listens to his or her teachers, can become a great person through tireless application and devotion to study, correct values, and filial piety -- listening to elders. "Learning to be human does not simply happen by itself." (Wei-ming, 2006) Humanity, not divinity or transcendence, is every human being's highest -- and most difficult aim, and should be the purpose of the entire educational system.

This can be seen in the concept of meritocracy in the American school system. Every child is not judged based upon his or her initial character -- rather, children prove their ability to succeed through test scores, performance in class, and their willingness to obey and creatively respond to the assignments of their teachers. Although there are certainly unfair elements of the school system, such as the fact that students from wealthier districts may have better access to technology, that such school districts can afford better teachers, and have better resources, at least this is looked upon as a flaw, rather than something society should tolerate. Even within the poorest schools the leaders of tomorrow can be built -- provided they are given the correct resources, and the ability to become human by honing their innate gifts. No human being begins life as a finished product. Every person deserves a second chance, as teaching is always possible, even the reformation of criminals is possible. Thus juvenile offenders can receive correction and special treatment in the prison system, and even adult prisoners can receive higher degrees and hopefully be rehabilitated through positive socialization.

Every human person is a perpetual student during the whole of his or her life, Confucius believed. Hence, Confucius' emphasis on humility, even of great persons, as everyone has something they must learn. No one knows everything, everyone is imperfect, and so exists the need to treat every person with decency, equality, and respect. "We must commit ourselves to the moral and spiritual process of learning to be human in order to begin the lifelong task of becoming fully human.... this learning process is continuous" (Wei-ming, 2006)

Today, there is much talk of the need for community building in the educational community. (Again, to return to the true but oft-cited maxim that 'it takes a village to raise a child,' in other words that no person is an island and everyone exists in a network of relationships.) "Confucius defined authentic learning as 'learning for the sake of the self,'" but the aim of such perfection was not radical, autonomous individualism, rather it was learning how to function in relationships with others. (Wei-ming, 2006) Learn how to share, to compromise, to bend one's will at times and learn from others, as well as to assert one's sense of self. This principle can be seen during a child's first lessons regarding sharing in nursery school and the most vaunted business schools of the nation, where team-building is one of the core aspects of the curriculum. In today's workplace as well as in school, existing as part of a community is an essential skill to learn -- Confucius understood this long ago. The self, in Confucianism, is only as great as the sum of how it behaves in relationships with others.

To a Westerner, weaned on the cliche of self-empowerment, the emphasis on relationships in Confucian thought may initially seem confusing, even frightening. "But who am I?" is the angst-ridden cry of many Westerners. But this stress on relationships does not mean that self-development is ignored in Confucianism. Every individual is vital, because of the role he or she plays in the community. The importance of learning community rules and discipline, ideals that are translated as ritual decorum from the original Chinese word li, means schooling the self is vital, because every individual is vested with such great importance in sustaining so many relationships, relationships that are necessary to make society whole and functional. This is also why adult, or continuing education is so important, as it is necessary for the self to develop "continuously. It [the self] is not a closed system. Instead, it is always open to other dimensions of human experience and human-relatedness. In this sense, the self as a center of relationships involves an ever-expanding process in an ever-growing network of human-relatedness. Therefore, we must distinguish self-centeredness or selfishness from the true process of self-realization," in the context of community. (Wei-ming, 2006)

Confucianism places a strong stress on family relationships. But "familial relationships can also degenerate into nepotism." Nepotism is the favoring of family members over other persons in a community, based upon emotional biases rather than ritual teachings. A parent, for example, must not assume his or her child is always correct and can live above the rules of child's teachers. This violates the principle of showing respect for learning, knowledge, and the need to show consideration and respect for the wisdom of an elder teacher. Filial duty means that a child must defer to teachers and parents, out of respect for the hard work they have done to teach the child and bring the child into the world. Filial duty also means that parents must show interest in their child's upbringing and wellness in society, not just in the family.

The reason that family is so important for Confucius is that it is the first place where a person must put aside childish, primal self-interest and see the self as part of a network of other persons. "Overcoming self-centeredness requires that we continuously interact with the members of our family: our father, mother, brothers and sisters. The family is seen as an enriching and nourishing support system, a vehicle for the true realization of the self in its center. The self, in turn, must develop in its various roles as son or daughter, parent or sibling. To do so, in each case, deepens that facet of our humanity." (Wei-ming, 2006)

Being part of a family is the first step in becoming fully human, as being a parent or a child requires letting go of narcissism. This is the first step of learning -- seeing that there is more to the world than selfish thoughts, needs, and desires. Even in schools today, by inviting parents to join in the process of their own child's education, through the PTA, through parent-teacher conferences, and through other methods that open up the school to parents, and vice versa, the school affirms this principle of Confucian social connectedness, of right behavior in family and in school as being symbiotic, rather than in conflict.