What is Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Confucius in the way he lays down the assumptions of the solution to the Philosophical problem?
The Philosophy that is demonstrated by Confucius in the way he lays down
A chun tzu or noble man is someone who speaks of orders. He/She is person who has the responsibility to guide the people in the Tao. He/She exemplifies the virtues and elevate the others for the development of everybody.
Since the Philosophy demonstrated by Confucius is the formation of a person towards becoming a noble man, then there is an involvement of the self. The involvement of the self can only be possible when the person has already seen the problem which is the social disorder wherein humans do no longer act in accordance to the name and to the task given. Confucius answer to the social disorder that is created by humans is also through human solution and he assumed this to be the formation and the cultivation of the self.
The formation and cultivation of the self assumed by Confucius as the solution is done through educating the person on how to be, at least a noble man. Educating the person can only happen if he/she is willing to do so. Confucius said that since the problem is created by humans, therefore the solution is also up to the humans. A person must not be forced to do it for it would only be a waste of resources knowing that he/she will not be able to gain anything.
Educating on how to be a noble man is done through looking at the living examples meaning through his/her surroundings. For example, is the father and son relationship. Every Sunday, the son goes to the Church and light a candle because this is what his father was doing. Doing the same act his father did however, is not simply imitating it. It is not a simple repetition of what has been used to be doing. Imitating the act will only worsen the social disorder. The son must know the significance of the act and the proper way of doing it. Lighting the candle is not simply lighting the candle. The person must offer praises and prayers to the God. The lighted candle also symbolizes the sacrifice made. When the son knows these things then the act is no longer a repetition since the intention is not the same and the level of importance is not the same. It may also be that the method of doing it may not be the same.
Another way of educating the person is through looking at the past. This means looking at the tradition. This again is not another repetition of the past. This one is done through recognizing the contributions of the past. This is to say that the past can contribute something into solving the problems that the present is facing. Looking at the past means getting ideas and through this ideas is formulating new solutions to the problem. Sometimes the past or the tradition will tell the person on what he/she might do based on the almost similar problem. It might have been that the problem before was the threat in security imposed by some wild beast and the man before solved it through creating fire. Now, the problem faced is threat in the security imposed by another man but the solution was making guns which is created through metal and fire. So the problem is the same yet the intensity of it and the solution is not the same but a link between the past and the present can be seen through the usage of fire.
When the person who was educated has learned and acted what he had learned, then there is a growth within the person. He/She can qualify in becoming a noble man, someone who leads the people towards the Tao. When he/she will continue practicing and learning it, then the person can be called a noble man.
Confucius' Philosophy in the way he lays down the assumptions of the solution to the Philosophical problem is through forming and cultivating a person to become a noble man. It is done through educating him/her through the examples present in the society and through the examples of the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment