Confucius Essays (Examples)

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Essay
Posterity of Confucius' Thoughts Confucian
Pages: 6 Words: 1970

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.
According to the Confucian scholar Tu ei-ming, Confucius even has a great deal to say to persons involved in the modern debates revolving around multiculturalism. Despite Confucius' place in his own Chinese tradition as a transmitter of culture and a teacher of long-shared values, ei-ming stresses that "to truly find one's roots, to find inspiration in one's ethnicity and cultural tradition, one must go beyond a closed…...

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Works Cited

Wei-ming, Tu. "Core Values in Confucian Thought." Lecture to Trinity College. [22 Oct 2006]  http://www.trinity.edu/rnadeau/FYS/Tu%20Wei-ming.htm

Essay
Compare the Lives and Teachings of Confucius and Socrates
Pages: 4 Words: 1513

Socrates and Confucius
Socrates died 2,400 years ago. To be more specific, he was put to death, a criminal destined on a capital allegation. How gravely Athens took her philosophers! It plugs the contemporary intellectual by way of resentment more than fear that one may well die for such a reason (1).

Of Confucius, it was, on one occasion, asked: "Is he the one who knows that what he does is in vain yet keeps on trying to do so?" One really does not know if Confucius ever felt a sense of despair in the self-styled job of trying to put right the nature of other men; but in view of the fact that he was a dedicated teacher, had he been there to respond; he would have said: "Yes, I am the one who is true to himself (3)."

However, the official allegation that cost Socrates his life -- "Socrates is guilty…...

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Bibliography

1) P.A. Vander Waerdt. Socratic Justice and Self-Sufficiency: The Story of the Delphic Oracle in Xenophon's Apology of Socrates. Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, 11 (1993), 1-48.

2) G. Vlastos, Socrates on The Parts of Virtue in his Platonic Studies. 2nd edn. Princeton, NJ, 1981.

3) Hu Shih. The Development of the Logical Method in China. Shanghai, 1928.

4) Thomas, Elbert Duncan, Chinese Political Thought: A study Based upon the Theories of the Principal Thinkers of the Chou Period. New York, 1927.

Essay
Analects of Confucius Stands as
Pages: 4 Words: 1404

Filial piety and fraternal submission -- are they not the root of all benevolent actions?" The superior man does not innovate, but is judged upon how perfectly bows to the conventions that were established, to what moral truths and ideals have come before his existence on earth and in heaven. (the Analects, Chapter 1)
The superior also is deferential to his subordinates -- and aloof from those beneath him. Even when the student Tsze-kung asks Confucius "hat do you pronounce concerning the poor man who yet does not flatter, and the rich man who is not proud?" The Master replied, "they will do; but they are not equal to him, who, though poor, is yet cheerful, and to him, who, though rich, loves the rules of propriety." In other words, even a poor man who is not socially aspiring should be cheerful in his or her deference. Furthermore, although the…...

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Works Cited

Confucius. The Analects of Confucius. Readings From Ancient China. Website maintained by Tony Beavers. Jun 2005]http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/analects.htm[10

Essay
Posterity of Confusius' Thoughts Confucius
Pages: 6 Words: 2140

It is universally accepted that each person should follow the direction that suits her best, that is, everyone should try to develop their abilities and talents in order to succeed.
Confucius believed that it is better to concentrate upon the efforts meant to lead to a long and happy life and not upon the immediate satisfaction of short-term pleasures. Even if during history there were philosophers and other various voices praised the immediate pleasures, claiming that it is the best way of going through life, the contemporary philosophical perspectives still include the conception according to which the road to happiness is not the shortest one, nor the one which lacks obstacles and difficulties.

One of the fundamental principles that are to be found in today's society is that of the respect in relation to the others. The respect for the family is an essential principle which can be observed everywhere in…...

Essay
Analects of Confucius
Pages: 1 Words: 372

Old Age: Confucius
Confucius, the great Chinese sage, was known for his stand on culture, old age, respect and admiration for one's parents and ancestors and tradition. Chinese revere tradition and everything old is also considered wise and better. For this reason Confucius felt that respecting one's elders and learning from them was the wisest and most admirable thing a young person could do. This he referred to as filial piety. He equated old age with wisdom and is known for having said that: "Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator."

This means that old age is not something to be afraid of. Instead it is something one can actually enjoy if only man had the wisdom to change his perspective and see his aging as part…...

Essay
Philosophical Differences Between Confucius and Mencius
Pages: 2 Words: 600

Philosophy
Although there are a few philosophical differences between Confucius and Mencius, the most significant is Mencius' insistence on the goodness of human nature. For Mencius, humanness (ren) is an innate moral character that can unfortunately be corrupted by society or bad leadership. Mencius views all persons as inherently equal and inherently good. hen he pleads with Kings in his dialogues (in The Essential Mengzi), the philosopher urges the King to rule with "benevolence and righteousness," (p. 1). This is because Mencius is primarily concerned with moral character. Mencius emphasizes the active role a human being can take in order to achieve moral righteousness as well as philosophical wisdom.

Confucius was concerned with ethics, and also emphasizes ren as a core component of a strong moral character. However, Confucius did not emphasize ren as much as Mencius would. Moreover, Confucius did not postulate much on human nature and whether human beings have…...

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Works Cited

Confucius. Analects. Retrieved online:  http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html 

Mencius (Mengzi). The Essential Mengzi. Ed. Van Norden. Hackett, 2009.

Essay
Leadership and Confucius
Pages: 4 Words: 1229

Leadership in Terms of Confucius
Analytical Essay: Oprah in via a Confucian Perspective

When one looks at some of the greatest leaders in history, one thinks of courageous people like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Bill Gates. However, this paper seeks to determine what the most important qualities of a leader really are with regards to the standards set forth by Confucius. The standards set are the ones set by Confucius in regards to what makes an effective leader in terms of the small picture (getting people to do what one wants) and the larger picture (making real change that world needs and requires). This paper will examine the work and life of a living figure: someone who has touched a tremendous number of lives and who has used her advantage and influence to promote good. This paper will examine the life and work of Oprah Winfrey and assess just how she…...

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References

Overton, William. (2011). "World Literature Anthology: Through the Renaissance Volume II. La Vergne: APUS Press.

Essay
On Confucius and Filial Piety Then and Now
Pages: 2 Words: 520

difficult for a person to be able to accept cultural values from a community that he or she is not familiar with. A person's cultural identity represents part of that person and shapes the way that he or she reacts to particular situations. The Chinese culture is very complex and entails a great deal of ideals and beliefs that are characteristically Chinese when considering the way they are put into practice.
"The Mother of Mencius" brings on concepts that are likely to be surprising for Westerners but that seem perfectly normal for the Chinese and one can easily observe how the writer introduced a series of sentences meant to emphasize how much the Book of Poetry appreciated the woman's thinking. This women acts in agreement with Confucian laws and does not hesitate to promote such ideas in order for her son to be able to get a better understanding of…...

Essay
Philosopher's Names Like Confucius and
Pages: 1 Words: 345

Thee is something so poetic about the image of violence in the flowes, and made me think how even duing a beautiful time like sping, tagedies can still occu. It also shows how we don't think vey much about the weathe, and what weathe means, unless thee ae some violent implications in its intensity. In tems of Dada being anti-ethical, though, I have to say that I don't eally 'let go' of my ethics when eading a Dada poem, athe I tend to econstuct a new ethical system fom the fagments of the piece, but in a new and unexpected way that is eally exciting. I like the efeences to stuctues like tees, which painted a pictue fo me, athe than encouaged a linea eading of the infomation -- although I don't think that you can completely abandon the need fo logic, because it's so had-wied within ou bains…...

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references to structures like trees, which painted a picture for me, rather than encouraged a linear reading of the information -- although I don't think that you can completely abandon the need for logic, because it's so hard-wired within our brains or at least our culture, shifting from a stress on the verbal to the visual can be a positive intellectual exercise. This work helped me understand this truth.

Essay
Confucius's Wisdom Remains Relevant Not
Pages: 2 Words: 771

In my life, I have tried to distinguish between healthy and tasty foods. The quote can also be taken symbolically, to refer to our ability to discern. Confucious is suggesting that we learn how to discern between ethical actions and even between people." Another quote from The Doctrine of the Mean, which applies to my life, is as follows: "The way which the superior man pursues, reaches wide and far, and yet is secret." I have never wanted to become famous, but have wanted to achieve great things. The most important thing is to achieve goals with an ethical foundation and not to become a celebrity.
Confucius's writings teach us how to best hone our minds and behaviors. The teachings also illustrate what Chinese culture was like during the time of Confucius. For example, in The Great Learning, Confucius refers to kingdoms and rulers. He refers to specific rulers: "Yao…...

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Works Cited

Confucius (500 BCE). The Doctrine of the Mean. Retrieved on the Internet Classics Archive.  http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/doctmean.html 

Confucius (500 BCE). The Great Learning. Retrieved on the Internet Classics Archive.  http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/learning.html

Essay
Confucius & Business Management Confucius and Confucianism
Pages: 5 Words: 1510

Confucius & Business Management
Confucius and Confucianism as a Model for Business Leadership

'What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others ... " "The injuries done to you by an enemy should be returned with a combination of love and justice

Confucius

Confucius was among the earliest political and philosophical thinkers; and though he actually lived in the 5th Century BC, his impact and his vision have made a profound impression on the Chinese population, and upon all well-read, intelligent and informed peoples throughout the world for approximately 2,300 years (Mitter, 20043). The philosophies of Confucius stressed ethics, order, stability and morality. These are among the concepts that the business leader, the manager, should aspire to, and this paper will focus on that approach to business and management.

Confucius as Teacher and Statesman: Establishing a vision; stimulating people to gain new competencies.

Confucius had a great concern for education, and so…...

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References

Bledsoe, Helen Wieman. "Confucius: Teacher and Statesman." Calliope Magazine 10

(1999): 9.

Dominguez, J. "World Religions and 101 Cults: Confucianism, Confucius, symbols, the Jen." 2004. 2 Oct. 2004  http://religion-cults.com/Eastern/Confucianism/confuci.htm .

Gard, Carolyn. "The Analects." Calliope 10 (1999): 28.

Essay
Confucius Construction of an 'Analects of Confucius'
Pages: 1 Words: 301

Confucius
Construction of an 'Analects of Confucius' knowledge base including pragmatics information. (Yang, 2011)

One study proposes an approach to constructing a knowledge base for the Analects of Confucius, which aims to promote a correct understanding of this text. The content of the Analects has not been categorized by topic and it always contains broader meanings. Thus, it is necessary to create a framework that can be used to manage and build the knowledge base for the text. Therefore, the present paper sets up a categorization system for the Analects, which is used to create a knowledge base by using pragmatics information, based on the utterance interpretation method in pragmatics.

Knowing to Act in the Moment: Examples from Confucius' Analects. (Lai, 2012)

Many scholars note that the Analects, and Confucian philosophy more generally, hold a conception of knowing that more closely approximates 'knowing-how' than 'knowing-that'. However, this author argues that…...

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Works Cited

Lai, K. (2012). Knowing to Act in the Moment: Examples from Confucius' Analects. Asian Philosophy, 347-364.

Yang, Y.T. (2011). Construction of an 'Analects of Confucius' knowledge base including pragmatics information. Electronics & Communications in Japan., 1-8.

Yao, X. (2012). INTRODUCTION: CONCEPTUALIZING VIRTUES IN THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 3-7.

Essay
Confucius vs Plato the Relationship
Pages: 5 Words: 1309


On the other hand, a good individual will be open towards knowledge and learning as a premise to making a contribution and using his knowledge in order to improve the society in which he leaves. Plato does not make this remark, as his main focus is the individual rather than the integration of the individual into organizational forms as a society would be. However, connecting this with the discussion at hand, wisdom, knowledge and truthfulness can be melded not only into an individual product, but also into one at societal level.

Finally, a good individual will need to be harmonious, not necessarily only in his own construction and build, but rather in his perceptions, his approaches towards the surrounding world and his capacity to pass things through his mind before reacting to them into society. Such a harmonious approach, at society level, will bring about a moderate perspective on things and…...

Essay
Confucius Jen - Humanity and
Pages: 3 Words: 1148

They are, never taking anything for granted; never being over-confident ("over positive"), of course never being "obstinate" (for that is a truly shameful attitude to take in any personal or social circumstance); and never being egotistic (self-love, or narcissism is akin to egotism, and in Confucian thought it is repugnant).
In Book IX (28) the Master says that "he that is really Good can never be unhappy." That doesn't mean one supposes that the truly jen person, the very Good person, goes around with a smile all the time and everything always goes right. It just means, the sense of being at peace comes when one achieves a level of goodness in life, and peace in this context relates to happiness, not to overt joy or ebullience.

Book XII offers a great deal of information about Goodness, jen. Ritual plays a pivotal role here, as the Master insists that sticking to…...

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Works Cited

Whaley, Arthur. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Random House, 1938.

Essay
Confucius Was One of the
Pages: 3 Words: 1192

" [II:15]
"Yu, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, say that you know it; when you do not know a thing, admit that you do not know it. That is knowledge." [II:17]

"A young man's duty is to be filial to his parents at home and respectful to his elders abroad, to be circumspect and truthful, and, while overflowing with love for all men, to associate himself with humanity (ren). If, when all that is done, he has any energy to spare, then let him study the polite arts." [I:6]

"Perhaps the word 'reciprocity': Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you." [XV:23]

"To be able to practice five virtues everywhere in the world constitutes humanity. Courtesy, magnanimity, good faith, diligence, and kindness. He who is courteous is not humiliated, he who is magnanimous wins the multitude, he who is of…...

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Bibliography

Bary, W. And et al. (1960). "From the Analects of Confucius" Sources of Chinese Tradition.

Vol.1. New York: Columbia University Press.

Stanford Education (Accesses 2005) "Confucius" [Online] Available at:

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