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The philosophical teachings of Stoicism and Confucianism concerning their differences and similarities are of great interest to researchers. Taking their origins in incomparable cultures, they possess several identical points. Although the cultural distance between Chinese and Hellenistic civilizations might be regarded as a giant, the comparison of these philosophies can lead to identifying the relationship between them.
Firstly, speaking about the principal contrasts between Stoicism and Confucianism, it should be mentioned that Confucius developed the teaching aimed at the improvement of the state structure, whereas the Stoics pay the main attention to logic and physics. Expressing the idea of devotion to the country and humility, Confucianism was also used as an ideological instrument to rule the nation. On the other hand, Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy, which concentrates mostly on developing logical thinking and wonders about the nature of the universe. This dissimilarity in the approaches makes evident the theoretical contradictions in the basic provisions of Stoicism and Confucianism.
Secondly, the concepts of morality seem to be indispensable for the comparison as well. Trying to build a highly disciplined and prosperous society, Confucius advocates that morality plays a crucial role in education, making people understand what is good and what is evil. In other words, Confucianism implies the possibility of reducing human-made evil. Contrariwise, Stoicism concentrates on a slightly different aspect of the question.
One of the central tenets of Stoic ethics claims that human happiness is not influenced by any goods or evils, which are considered non-moral, such as pleasure and pain, health and illness. Thus, Stoicism introduces the notion of morally indifferent things, which are absent in the theory of Confucianism.
However, representing one of the central aspects of these teachings, the understanding of relationships with others can be useful for further comparison. Confucianism, as it was mentioned above, covers all aspects of social life, from the individual to the state structure. One of the basic principles of this ethical teaching implies respect for other people and all living things. To produce a fairly functioning society, Confucius considers it necessary to talk about the personal responsibility of each concerning others.
A similar idea can be found in the doctrines of Stoicism, which claims that all people are citizens of space as a world state. In other words, the Stoics’ ethics implies cosmopolitanism that equates all people in the face of world law. Thus, according to the Stoics, slaves are equal to free citizens, barbarians to Greeks, and women to men. The common good depends on the well-being of all, and, as a consequence, it actualized the necessity of the brotherhood of humanity and a respectful attitude towards others. Moreover, both Stoicism and Confucianism consider discipline as a fundamental category, which occupies one of the leading positions in their theories. Given that fact, it can be said that these philosophies agree on the concepts of human relationships and discipline, which are significant aspects of the teachings.
To conclude, although there are differences in the basic provisions of Stoicism and Confucianism and they came from different cultures, these philosophies might be regarded as comparable. Stoicism focuses mainly on questions of logic and physics, and Confucianism’s main goal is a perfectly operating society. Nevertheless, both teachings consider discipline and respect for others as fundamental issues.
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