Synthesis Paper 1.F Revised

What is Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Confucius?

Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Confucius is about discovering or grasping a person’s full human-ness. This means to say that Confucius wanted man to realize his full potential as a human being. It is knowing what it is and how to be human. Confucius discusses that the fullness of man’s human-ness is being a noble man.

A noble man according to Confucius is someone who should be in public office because these men who were trained to be one. He is someone who possesses the characteristics in which makes up a noble man. A noble man should have the following standards: He is a man that is family oriented and a man that regulates and is regulated by the use of virtue.

First is the man should be family oriented. Meaning the man is well trained to be responsible of his self and of the others. The family plays an important role in the person’s development as the kind of person the child may become reflects the family too.

The family does not only serve as a little society in which will protect a person but it also serves as the training grounds of a person as to what he will become. The family is the one who teaches a person the things he needs to do as a preparation for a bigger world. It is where the person is being formed to the kind of person he is to be.

It is in the family that the person learns the sense of responsibility. This is to say that it is there that he learns how to control his words and actions. It is through the family that the person is trained to handle duties. Great things start from small ones. So, the person is being trained in the family by small amounts of tasks that would prepare him in bigger responsibilities that he would be handling as he grows and extends his horizon.

When one has learned the sense of responsibility, he learns to be somehow a good family man as he learns to prioritize things. Being a good family man is to learn how to be better human being because if a person is a better human being, he knows what to do first. He would be considerate of his actions. He would know what is to be prioritized and what is to not to be. Being a better human being is being responsible to his actions and decisions. It is being liable to the consequences he might face.

The sense of being family oriented is being held responsible to the family. Meaning, the person is accountable to what may happen in his family as he is the one who is molding them to be better human beings. He serves as the guide to other family members as to what they would become. He becomes the reference point of the others.

The next standard is that the man should regulate and be regulated by the use of virtue.

The person must be molded in the family first. The molding of the person is through the use of virtue and not by force. This means that the person must be motivated to do or to act by the use of virtues or ethical behaviors.

When a person is motivated by force, his actions or deeds are not coming from within him, thus he would not be efficient to what he does. He would not be able to perform his tasks well as he is not sincere or committed to it. Force would only result to unsatisfactory outcomes.

When one is motivated by virtue, then the person would be passionate to what he does. One can see the dedication he has putted in his work, thus it would be efficient. Virtues then would result to satisfactory outcomes.

If one is to be regulated by virtue and not by force, then the virtues should not be imposed to the person. This means that in order to be efficient, he should be the source of the realization. Yes, he is taught of the virtues but it should not be imposed on him. He should be the one to realize the worth of the virtue. If then, in order to realize the virtues, he should be led through examples. These examples are what the person sees or observes in his surroundings. It is what others had done and that he saw the effects of these virtues. He should not be forced to do the same as it would be a form of deception mot just to the people but to the person himself.

Since the man turns out to be responsible enough of his actions and that was well regulated by the use of virtues, his actions too on to the next generation is also the same. Meaning, he would also regulate the other people, basically his family members, by the use of virtues into teaching them to be responsible family members and later on responsible citizens or leaders of the society.

The being family oriented and being regulated and regulates by the use of virtues is what makes a noble man, the fullness of human-ness.

Now, before man becomes a noble man he should first discover his full potentiality. In order to do this, Confucius suggests ways in which man can know and exercise this. He suggested man to follow the Tao and to possess the virtues. All of his suggestions are those of which are according to humanity. This means that man can realize his human-ness only through acquainting to other human beings and to the ways of humanity.

First is that man is to follow the Tao. According to Arthur Waley, he translated the Tao as the principles of truth and right. Meaning it is in the Tao that we understand all things in the world as it is the basis of everything. The Tao is the source of what is true and what is right. There is an obligatory character in which human beings are to follow the Tao as the Tao means, in its Chinese character, the way in which the leader takes. It is an obligatory way for a human being to follow the moral law which is basically the Tao. The link between the two is that the moral law, which is the Tao, is basically based on humanity. Therefore, the way a human being must follow is the way of humanity.

Second are the virtues. In here, Confucius is discussing the different virtues a person has to know and apply when he wanted to be an ideal human being and that means being a noble man. The first virtue is for man to love man. Meaning, man has to form his moral character through loving other people. This love for others however, can be achieved if the person has loved his self first, which can be felt when the person experienced being loved. It is through experiencing the love from others and from the self that he will be able to show love.

There are different types of love that is to be shown by man. First is the love like that of spouses. Meaning this is the kind of love that treats everybody equal. In here, the respect is extended to those brothers even if they are different from the person. The relationship established here goes beyond the race or kinship between the persons involved. Brotherly respect refers to the common respect everyone has to have.

Second is the love like that of parent and child. This type of love is that which shows respect to those who are superior and inferior to the person. Meaning, this is the type of relationship that is established through obedience and piety. Obedience here refers to following the orders or the norms in order to create a harmonious living between men. Obeying the norms however, requires the intention of the person. It means that the person following it knows why he is following it and not just for mere showing off. On the other hand, piety refers to the devotion the person puts in obeying the orders and the norms. Just like obedience, the devotion should also need intention coming from the person. This requires sincerity from him and not just mere compliance to the norm.

The love for man or humanity can be expressed through conscientiousness and altruism.

Conscientiousness is the loyalty of the person in doing the things for humanity. This means that humanity is expressed through the person’s habit of doing it. Learning humanity doesn’t mean that a person can be considered a man of humanity. To be called a man of humanity, the person must be consistent to what he is doing. There must be a sense of commitment from the person to his action. In doing such actions, he must not think of what others might think of him. This means that he does not care if others are watching him or not. The sincerity of the person must not be measured by the praise or recognition he gets. If the person really is a noble man, then he is a noble man regardless of whether a lot of people are aware or not.

Since conscientiousness is an expression of humanity, therefore it is done to and with other human beings. It cannot be expressed to the self and by the self. Another thing also is that conscientiousness is cultivating not just the self but also the others. This means that the cultivation of the self is done through cultivating others too. This act is establishing relationships with the other human beings.

The next expression is altruism. Altruism or reciprocity is the completion of conscientiousness. It refers to the response that is needed when confronted with different attitudes. It is simply the application of the so-called Golden rule, “Do not do unto others what you do not want other to do unto you”. Confucius said that if a person has done something bad toward another person, the same thing would happen to him. Rudeness is a response of a person towards the rudeness of the other. The reaction or response of a person does not mean or signifies the differences between the two but it is because of the action he has done.

Altruism is the completion of conscientiousness because it is in here that the person can show his seriousness in what he is doing. This means that he has not only loved and respected others but also he has shown his self love and respect.

Second virtue is righteousness. Righteousness is being fair in a given situation. It is acting basin on what is right.  A superior man does not take sides on a given situation. He thinks and listens to every side of the story. He is not narrow minded. He weighs down circumstances and bases his decision from there.

Next virtue is propriety. This virtue is doing what is the right thing to do. The right thing to do is sometimes based on rules or laws imposed. Confucius emphasized on doing what is proper, to what is according to the rules. Although Confucius is saying that the proper way to do things is through following the rules, he still puts emphasis on having intention in doing the rules or practices.

The virtue of propriety disciplines a person because he knows that there are certain regulations to be followed in order to bring harmony between men. This means to say that despite the differences among the people, because of the rules, which are proper, it creates harmony among them. It grounds the person and tells him his place in the society.

The last virtue is the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom is doing the duties of man through the ways of humanity. Meaning, the completion of the learned knowledge of being an ideal man is done through acting it out or living it out. Being a man of wisdom means that a person does not settle by knowing human beings but aims to be an ideal human being.

When one wants to know what it is and how to be human, he must first be open to learn about it. Meaning, following the Tao and possessing the virtues can be learned. Learning lets you know things that you need to know and not just anything. Before a person would be open to learning, he should acknowledge the fact that he does not know everything. After that, he should learn to distinguish things he knows and things he does not know.

Learning is comprehending things and not just memorizing or accepting those that are already given. It is analysing and weighing down the things that are known. To learn is to be able to see the underlying principle of the knowledge gained. A learned person is someone who thinks and can justify his answer. He is someone who makes sense in what he is saying.

Knowledge results to learning. When one has known things, then he would try to evaluate if these knowledge can help him in his journey of knowing what it is and how to be human. A person who is after becoming an ideal human person does not aim to know everything but only those that could help him in his development in becoming a human being. Learning is about knowing and evaluating things that matter and then applied to the person’s life.

If one wishes to be a noble man, he has to apply the things he has learned to his daily life. This is to say that he has to live and practice the knowledge that he has. The practicing should be done whole heartedly. There should not be pretentions as he would end up just deceiving his self. Self-deception will not last long because the motivation is not for the self. Also, it would not last long because the person dislikes or is not committed to what he is doing. Even if practicing it is hard or difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The only way to be an ideal human being is to exercise being an ideal human being. Therefore, he must put into practice whatever he has learned but it should be done sincerely.

All these things are done if the person has freed his self from the emotional baggages. Emptying the self from baggages is making sure that the person is not easily distracted by any external and internal force like emotions. He should evaluate his self from time to time. This is to be sure that he really wants what he is doing. This is to evaluate his self if he is truthful to his actions. If the person will know that he is sincere and committed to the things he does, then he will not be lost in finding what it is and how to be human.

If man wishes to be an ideal human being, he has to know what it is to be an ideal human being. But before a person becomes an ideal human being, he should first know what it is and how to be a human being. Knowing what it is to be a human being means that he has to be with fellow men. This means to say that learning can be achieved if he lets himself be with other human beings and when he is one with other human beings.

All these things discussed can only be learned if the person is engaged in with fellow human beings. He should live in harmony with other people. It is easier for man to familiarize his self with the human actions since he himself is a human person. He can learn to act and acquaint with people since he already has a background about them based on his experiences with them.

Learning to be one with humanity can be understood through understanding the concepts which are the Tao as a social-moral way, the giving of importance to tradition, the understanding of the basic goodness and intelligence of man, and the developing of a person into a noble man.

First concept is understanding the Tao as social-moral way. Before I discuss why the Tao is a social-moral character, I will first tackle why humanity is a social mechanism.  As humans, we should live in harmony with other people as it is our nature to be one with them. According to Analects 18:6, one cannot be in union with other creature for it is not his nature to be with them. A person should be one with another person for it is his own kind and that human beings has their own way that is different from other creatures. Now knowing that a person is to be in union with other human beings, I will now proceed to why the Tao takes in a social-moral way.

As what I have mentioned earlier, the Tao is the source of what is right and wrong. Meaning the Tao is the basis for everything. The Tao should be followed as it is what its Chinese character means. The Tao could also be understood as the moral law which is based on humanity. Therefore, since the Tao is based on humanity, it is then to be followed since man is to follow the ways of humanity.

In order to understand the way of human beings, I will discuss, in this part, what it is to be a human being. First of all, humanity sprung up from filial piety and brotherly respect.  Filial piety, as what I have mentioned, is like the relationship between the parent and the child. It is the child showing respect to his parent and of the parent showing respect to his child. It is the child following the ways of the parent and it is the parent assisting the child. Brotherly respect on the other hand is the respect between peers or siblings. It is showing that all human beings are equal. There is a sense of respect to each one because a man is as equal to another man.

Therefore, the Tao is a social-moral way because it is the way of humanity. The way of humanity is that it should be with other human beings to be called a human being and that the Tao, which is the moral law, is based on humanity.

Second concept is recognizing or giving importance to tradition. In here, Confucius puts on emphasis to that a human being should also acknowledge the past. This is to say that the past has something to contribute in solving the problems today. Therefore, the past only inspires the present. It doesn’t mean that whatever happened in the past should be repeated today. The problems faced before are partly different from the problems from the present but it does teach a person on how to solve it.

Confucius encourages a creative repetition. Meaning a person does not just repeat or inherit whatever is done before but he finds a way in which it is shown to be something new. The importance of tradition is showing the relevance of the past that can has contributed on what the world is now.

Third concept is having faith in the basic goodness and intelligence of man. This is to say that Confucius believes that a human being is born good, with no bad intention, and that is capable of learning things greatly. Everyone has an identical natural ability which is good and intelligent. Confucius is trying to go against the present condition of the state and society. He wanted to let everyone have an equal opportunity to sit in a public office. He said that public office should be a matter of character and not of ancestral lineage.

In order to fit in any public office, Confucius emphasizes on the availability of education for everyone. He believes that through education, a man will be equipped enough to know things that would help him be a public servant or a noble man (chun tzu).

Confucius is fighting for an equal treatment between men as men are originally equal. The children of noble families should not be the only one to be offered with education that will provide them the skills to be a noble man themselves. Everyone should be offered with the same chance.

Last concept is the development of a noble man. If a man has known how to be a human being, then he can now be developed into a noble man. For Confucius, a noble man must not be gained through ancestral lineage but to be developed. As what I have stated, Confucius is promoting equality to men, thus sitting in a public office or being a noble man must be earned through training and not inheritance.

A public office is not about having power but it is about having responsibilities. The officer must be a superior man. His superiority however must not be about the rank or position but a superiority of character. A human being must not think of public office as place to gain or elevate his self for control over the state and the society. He must think that public office is to elevate the self for the development of the others. His responsibility as a public officer is always to accomplish something for the betterment of his people.

The four concepts are an indicator of being a man one with humanity. This is to say he lives harmoniously with other human beings. Being a man of or with humanity signifies a man following the Way (Tao) as the Way is humanity.

When man has known how to be a human being, he could be developed into a noble man, which is the fullness of human-ness. Although Confucius says that being a noble man is the fullness of being a human being, all of the things that are said are only suggestions. Meaning, Confucius does not force people to be a noble man because he says that if the will or intention is not there, the effort of teaching a person how to be human will be useless.

Confucius was insisting that people must seek to be a noble man because he saw problems in the society. He insists that this is the only way in order to solve these problems. Confucius has been pushing and insisting that there really is a problem in the society since, as stated in Analect 3:24, he is not anymore sitting in any position which is not right because he is a noble man. In their tradition, the noble man is the one who is suited to be sitting in the office because of his proper education on how to be a public servant. Another problem that occurred is that the peasants have been working hard yet they receive little amount as salary and they remain poor while the noble man gets even richer. Lastly, the people are starting to doubt if the ancestors can really bless the living. This uncertainty is because of the people’s observation of their political system wherein the people are only assuming office because of power and not because of public service.

Confucius identified the problem as social disorder rooted in the incorrect use of names. In this part, it can be understood that Confucius is really up for changing the ways of the people and would really like to bring them back to the ways of humanity.  As stated in the Analects, the world is facing problems in the world because the leaders that are seated in throne are not suited in the position. They just got the position because of some ancestral passage. Because of this system, the ones who deserve to be in office are not given any position. One reason for this is that sometimes they don’t have a rich or influential ancestry.

In this example, it can be seen that there is really a problem in the society and that the root cause is the incorrect use of names. As stated above, the political power comes from the rich and influential lineage. Because of this, some officers do not deserve occupying the office. These officers have used the office for some other purposes like the greed of power instead of public service. They kill other aspiring people and replace them, with whoever they want. This illustration is clearly an example of incorrect use of name. The officers were not able to stand and live their name as public officers. They are use the office for some other reasons.

According to Confucius, the incorrect use of names will result to problems like a noble man being out of office, a peasant that still has nothing and the people who doubts their ancestors’ capacity. The incorrect use of names was the root cause of the social disorder because people have no idea about what their words may mean. The names must stand their names for the names and the things have a connection within them that gives meaning. The relationship between the name and the thing makes it whole and asserts its existence and significance.  If people use names and don’t know their proper meanings, it will create confusion in them and thus result to disorder. The disorder will only lead them away from the truth of the thing.

The same thing will happen if people do not know the meaning of their names. If they do not know the connection between them and their names, they will be led far from the truth of their existence and significance. When one is given a name, one has to exercise it. Meaning one has to live up the name assigned to him. When one is tasked to be a politician, he must know what it is to be a politician. He must know that occupying a public office is for public service and that whatever he does is always for the betterment of the people and not of his self. He is trusted to be in that position because of his ancestral lineage and he must learn to live with it. Because of his education, he has the right to be seated in office, thus he must learn to be rightful in the said position.

These problems emerged because man has not achieved his full human-ness. He did not put an effort in seeking to be one and they misunderstood their role and capacity as human beings. Being a noble man that is following the ways of humanity is Confucius solution to these problems.

Therefore, I can say that Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Confucius is about discovering or grasping a person’s full human-ness. This means to say that Confucius wanted man to realize his full potential as a human being. It is knowing what it is and how to be human. Knowing what it is and how to be a human being could help aid the problems that are happening in the society. Confucius discusses that the fullness of man’s human-ness is being a noble man. Being a noble man must be the ideal human being. It must be the goal.