Asian History: The Analects of Great Chinese Thinker and Philosopher Confucius

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Humaneness – the prerequisite to positions of power
Authoritative conduct
The effectiveness of punishment
The demeanour of a ruler
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Governance of a state or country is certainly no easy task; this is irrespective of size, population, status of natural resources or economic development. Since the great Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius lived in a predominantly feudal and paternalistic system, it is easy to understand the importance and relevance of his words of wisdom while on the subject of ‘rulers’. What is inspiring is that, the same is applicable to governments today. The world that Confucius tried to visualize consisted of a ruler who would rule by setting a good example. He was of the firm opinion that punishment, laws and regulations would not be effective enough tools in the governing procedure. Instead, it would be a lot more fruitful to have a progressive ruler (or government) who ensured that his words, deed and conduct set an example for the rest of the country to follow.

Humaneness – the prerequisite to positions of power

Quite contrary to popular belief and notions of the characteristics attributed to a ruler, Confucius believed that humaneness was the most important quality that had to be cultivated. The word Jen in Chinese came to mean all qualities connected with kindness, forbearance and gentleness. It is interesting to note that this word meant ‘true member’ initially. It meant that a person who was referred to in this way had a character that was looked upon by his fellow countrymen with pride and love. The Analects of Confucius describe this quality of kindness in great detail and explain how this has to be the basic characteristic of a person who aspires to reach a position of power (Waley, 1989).

This principle idea of humaneness has lead followers of Confucius to come to the conclusion that in order to enjoy the benevolence of others, it is essential for the same to be initiated by them. Therefore, if a ruler wanted to ensure that his rule was without unrest, he had to understand the importance of finding the right balance between self-interest on the one hand and the perception to see things from various angles on the other. Sceptics and critics might not agree with this idea. Imagine a situation like this – a ruler is faced with a case that needs justice to be delivered to a person who is a sadist. Would it be right for the ruler to look to look at the case from the point of view of the sadist, just because he is a true follower of Confucianism? This would not be acceptable at all. This is where Confucius recommends and encourages a ruler to use his powers of discretion. It would not be possible for a ruler to do this if he did lend a receptive ear to the problems faced by the victims of the sadist.

Authoritative conduct

The Chinese word ren is associated with the conduct of those who wield authority (Ames, 1998). It refers to the path trodden by rulers to ensure their supremacy and also harmony among their subjects. It is to be noted here that harmony was given more importance than mere subjugation. This was in order to ensure that a ruler remained in power for as long as possible, remembered by his subjects as a kind, just person. Therefore authoritative conduct was one of the main points of the teachings of Confucius.

The effectiveness of punishment

Punishment is not effective if the person who receives it does not feel a sense of shame and remorse (Legge, 2004). If there are laws and punishments that are given uniformly without much notice paid to the nature of the crime, then the person is likely to avoid the punishment and have no sense of shame and therefore repeat the crime without much hesitation. Once again, the person who renders justice, in short, the ruler has to be a person of great virtue. ‘To be able to judge of others by what is nigh in ourselves; – this may be called the art of virtue’ (Legge, 1971).

The demeanour of a ruler

Apart from being a just and kind person, Confucius insists that a ruler needs to carry himself well, in order to gain the respect of the people he governs. Each person has his or her own place in society. However, it must be mentioned here that the great sage had very little to say on the position of women in society. Hence, it was common to find the practice of various kinds of rituals in the society in which Confucius lived. There is no doubt that these might be frowned upon today as being more ritualistic than spiritual; nevertheless, it signifies the nature of deportment that a ruler needed in order to command respect for as long as possible. What is interesting to note is that Confucius put forward his picture of an ideal ruler with utmost clarity. Even though this was done with the use of myriad metaphors, there is a clarity of thought that comes through to reach the millions of his followers long after he departed from this world (Hall & Ames, 1987).

Conclusion

To refer to the opinion of Confucius on rulers, as being monumental, would be to state the obvious. There have been countless historians, religious heads, scholars and anthropologists who have tried their best to capture the essence of the teachings of this great sage for the benefit of future generations. It would indeed be presumptuous to even attempt summarizing the views of Confucius on rulers. Be that as it may, Confucius would agree that only a person who exhibited humanness and moral discretion accompanied with a broad sense of moral perception could rule a country that lived in total harmony, making full use of the available resources of the land.

References

Ames, R. T. The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation. A New Translation Based on the Dingzhou Fragments and Other Recent Archaeological Finds. New York. Ballantine Books. 1998.

Hall, D.L. & Ames, R. T. (Thinking Through Confucius (SUNY Series in Systematic Philosophy). New York. SUNY Press. 1987.

Waley, A. The Analects of Confucius. Washington. Vintage Books. 1989.

Legge, J. Confucian Analects: The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean By Confucius. Translated by James Legge. New York. Courier Dover Publications. 1971.

Legge, J. Confucian Analects. Translated by James Legge. Whitefish, MT. Kessinger Publishing. 2004.

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