| Title | : | The Wisdom of Confucius |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardback |
| Number of Pages | : | 265 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1943 |
The Wisdom of Confucius Reviews
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This book, “Wisdom of Confucius,” draws from the five classics (thought to be from Confucius himself) and from four books by his followers.
Confucius's worldview is anchored in a cosmos that is ordered and balanced. This harmonious state is the “moral law” of the universe that is “to be found everywhere.” Though it is “invisible to the eyes, and impalpable to the senses, it is inherent in all things, and nothing can escape its operation.” For Confucius, this means that heaven and earth are linked together. (1) Preserving order and promoting harmony is the task of the ruler on earth. The ruler’s first task is to “put in order his personal conduct and character.” Then, Confucius says the ruler “will understand how to govern men.” (2)
As to the nature of that governing approach, Confucius says it is, generally, to follow the golden rule: “What you do not wish others shall do unto you, do not unto them.” The golden rule applies the universal moral law to the earthly sphere. (3) The ruler restrains his own freedom and looks out for the good of the whole. Likewise, on behalf of order and harmony, the golden rule requires his subjects (who model the ruler) to respect the freedom of others by restricting their own freedom. (4) This is “li” or the “principle of social order. (5)
Respect for family and elders and the established social hierarchies is another way to restrict personal freedom. This is all conducive to “mastering” one’s self-interested tendencies. Confucius writes of the “duties of universal obligation," which are the formalized relationships of self-restraint. These are the “duties…wisdom, compassion and courage.” Confucius goes on to say that “some men are born with the knowledge of the moral qualities,” whereas others acquire them through education or “hard experience.” To follow the universal rule is to experience one’s “true self” (6) and embody “the law of God.” (7)
This is a worldview of stasis. It’s a view of the cosmos as a static state, of eternal and perfect harmony. Confucius doesn’t acknowledge that such harmony is the product of eternal conflict and change. Harmony is temporary only. Cosmic freedom (energy and matter) moves in a universe of action and reaction; resolution creates a balance of forces until it is disrupted again as cosmic freedom is perpetual motion.
In the earthly realm, the same dynamics play out. Self-interest is a natural source of tension and conflict, creating negative reactions in others. The only way to obtain and maintain order lies in reciprocity and mutual respect (i.e., following the golden rule). This is the single formula that allows the freedom of all because it restricts the freedom of each in deference to the freedom of the other. Confucianism minimizes the tension and conflict because that is the prerequisite condition for order and harmony. But an alternative perspective to what Confucius puts forward is that this condition is temporary and never permanent. (8) In this view, free internal motion is eternal, not harmony.
Confucius refers to the seven natural instincts, which in effect, tells us about the nature of human freedom and what underlies humans as actors in and their reaction to the world, and why tension and conflict are its permanent features. There’s desire, for what we need. There’s fear about what we don’t need. There’s sorrow when we are not successful or when we lose what we had, and anger when we are impeded or anger directed at those who are responsible for our loss. There’s joy when we are successful, and love for what we like and hatred for what we dislike. These could be seen as global instincts about who we are. (9)
Given the age parallels and trade contacts from Greece to India and China, it’s interesting that there are similarities between Confucius and Greek thought regarding eternal harmony, hierarchical class distinctions, the role of the sage ruler, the aim of perfecting human nature, the emphasis on true knowledge, and the role of the Socratic-like voice. (10)
(1) The universe’s “moral laws form one system with the laws by which Heaven and Earth support and contain [and] overshadow and canopy all things.” Elsewhere, Confucius states that “man is the product of the forces of heaven and earth, of the union of the yin and the yang principles….”
(2) The ruler is the divine’s agent on earth. “As soon as such a man shall make his appearance in the world, all people will reverence him….Therefore we may say: ‘He is the equal of God.’”
(3) This is also “the principle of reciprocity (or shu).”
(4) “When a man becomes dehumanized or materialistic, then the principle of reason in Nature is destroyed and man is submerged in his own desires. From this arise rebellion, disobedience, cunning and deceit, and general immorality. We have then a picture of the strong bullying the weak, the majority persecuting the minority, the clever ones deceiving the simple-minded, the physically strong going for violence, the sick and crippled not being taken care of, and of the aged and the young and helpless not cared for. This is the way of chaos."
(5) “Li” fuses the harmonious order between Heaven and Earth through the agency of the divine ruler who “cultivates the proper approach to duties and the order of li as a means of controlling or regulating human nature.” In his commentary, Lin Yutang writes that “The religious character of li cannot be doubted, and the Chinese have actually called Confucianism ‘the religion of li'" But this Yutang refuses to do “because it suggests a type of religion such as we see in Christianity, which draws a sharp distinction between religious and secular affairs.”
(6) This is “indwelling (or resting) in perfection, or the ultimate good.” This is “true knowledge.”
(7) “Thus absolute truth is indestructible. Being indestructible, it is eternal. Being eternal, it is self-existent. Being self-existent, it is infinite. Being infinite, it is vast and deep. Being vast and deep, it is transcendental and intelligent. It is because it is vast and deep that it contains all existence. It is because it is transcendental and intelligent that it embraces all existence. It is because it is infinite and eternal that it fulfils or perfects all existence. In vastness and depth it is like the Earth. In transcendental intelligence it is like Heaven. Infinite and eternal, it is the Infinite itself.”
(8) This is not to minimize the benefits of a prospective application of the golden rule that avoids conflict. Yet even here there are misunderstandings that create tension, even with good intent.
(9) “Food and drink and sex are the great desires of mankind, and death and poverty and suffering are the great fears or aversions of mankind. Therefore desires and fear (or greed and hatred) are the great motive forces of the human heart.”
(10) Lin Yutang writes in the introduction that “With the existence of an intellectual upper class of rulers, the two meanings [gentleman and sovereign] merged into one another, and formed a concept very similar to Plato’s ‘philosopher king’” and writes that “The charm of Confucius was very much like the charm of Socrates.” Also, interestingly, Confucius stated that ‘“Sometimes I have gone the whole day without food and a whole night without sleep occupied in thinking….”’ In one of Plato's dialogues, Socrates was said to have had the same experience. -
Boring.
I have read, and quite liked, books from other great Asian traditions of thought (e.g. Taoism and Zen Buddhism), but this was my first introduction to Confucianism. It's probably just a bad translation, but I couldn't get through it. Sorry, Master Kong, but life is too short to read boring books. Perhaps some day I will find a different/better translation and try again. -
It was interesting learning about the philosophy of Kong Qiu. He seemed to be a very modest man with a strong curiosity of the world and desire to be altruistic. I really enjoyed much of his philosophy and ideas of the world but wish the book went more in depth but this was almost impossible with its structure. What should have been structured like a biography was instead structured like Poor Richards Almanac and though it’s an easy read with numbered quotes and stories it doesn’t have room for depth. At the very least, I got a minor glimpse at what Kong Qiu was like and what he thought of the world which makes me eager to read more about him. I’d say this book works as a brief introduction to Confucius and his philosophy but I’m sure there are other books that execute it a lot better.
Here are some quotes I enjoyed:
“The Nobel-minded man makes the most of others’ good qualities, not the worst of their bad ones.”
“The superior man is exacting of himself; the common man is exacting of others.”
“What you do not yourself desire, do not put before others.” *the golden rule 500 years BCE*
“They who care not for the morrow will the sooner have their sorrow.”
“Be true and honest in all you say and seriously earnest in all you do”
“When faced with adversity the superior man will endure it unmoved, but a common person will break out into excess under it.”
“Before one will work they must first sharpen their tools.”
“Superior men are modest in their words and profuse in their deeds.”
And finally something that I really connect with..
“I am sick of men’s immovableness and deafness to reason.” -
This is a better book of translations and more useful to read than the Analects, but its author's opinions - while ostensibly offered to demonstrate the wide range of potential interpretations of these texts - is often a bit intrusive or extraneous. I would recommend it to serious student of Confucius's thought/philosophy, but not to a more casual/committed reader. I have enjoyed the book and yet I am glad that the experience of it is over, as it contained many great insights of Confucian wisdom with significantly less repetition than, say, the Analects (though still with an appreciable amount), and also with far more context, and yet there was something indescribable missing for me. Perhaps it was the author's singular view so often expressed that left me cold or unhelped and perhaps distracted at times; perhaps it was that, having read several sources of this wisdom now, this one is not so different/better as to make the work of digesting it seem worth it; or perhaps it is that familiarity breeds contempt in the sense that Confucius's faults are also examined here and in so doing he is diminished/humanized in a way that impinges naturally (and negatively for me) on his philosophy.
There is much gold to be mined here, but, truth be told, I am happy to leave it for a time and come back to it as the going is challenging. For ardent Confucianists this is a paradise, for mere enthusiasts perhaps more of a chore. -
Interesante lectura, con bastante (BASTANTE) información sobre la vida y las ideas de Confucio, así como las de algunos de sus seguidores más influyentes. La negrita se debe a que de a ratos su lectura puede volverse un poco pesada; entiendo que algo de contexto histórico es necesario para comprender plenamente el legado de este filósofo chino, pero para el lector casual puede resultar abrumador encontrarse con tantos nombres de barones, reyes y funcionarios de la época, sobre todo al comienzo de la obra.
Por otro lado, el criterio para la selección de textos es muy buena, y como traductor pude apreciar las anotaciones al margen sobre las dificultades que presenta una obra como esta, en el formato original en el que se trasmitió.
No he leído las
Analectas, pero ciertamente recomendaría este título a los interesados en filosofía y el Lejano Oriente. Puede ser denso de a ratos, pero en general el estilo es bastante agradable y tras su lectura se tendrá una idea más o menos formada sobre el tema. -
We still need to learn something from this great sage who was born 2,562 years ago. Please allow me to verify from the Internet since I heard from a few TV reports on the event in China, some mentioned 2,565 therefore we understand why China has long been great as regards her history, culture, scholars, etc. They can tell you when Confucius was born, how come?
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A forgotten gem
Allow me to recount a pivotal chapter in my intellectual growth—a serendipitous encounter with Lin Yutang's magnum opus, "The Wisdom of Confucius," which served as my inaugural expedition into the realm of Confucianism at the tender age of thirteen. However, it was during my subsequent rereading of this profound work between the ages of fifteen and sixteen that I truly beheld its greatness in all its splendor. While I must concede that this book may not be the optimal introduction to Confucianism for those unacquainted with philosophy, it undeniably excels in succinctly summarizing the philosophy and acquainting readers with primary texts—a testament to its enduring value.
The following are my notes and (mostly) highlights from the first chapter of this book, the "Introduction". They should explain whether you should read the book or not.
# Introduction
## The Character of Confucian ideas
> To put it briefly, Confucianism stood for a rationalized social order through the ethical approach, based on personal cultivation. It aimed at political reader by laying the basis for it in a moral order, and it sought political harmony by trying to achieve the moral harmony in man himself. Its most curious characteristic was the abolition of distinction between politics and ethics.
>
To the author’s mind, there are five characteristic ideas in Confucianism
### 1. The Identification of Politics and Ethics
The Confucian defintion of Government is “put things in order”. Confucius was aiming at the moral basis for peace in society, out of which political peace should naturally ensue. Once asked about why he does not go into Government, Confucius answered by simply saying that being a moral man is participating in government. Thus, one could almost call Confucius an anarchist, believing that people should live in social harmony, and thus making Government unnecessary.
> “In acting as a judge at lawsuits, I am as good as anyone. But the things is, to aim so that there should not be any lawsuits at all” — (Analects XII)
>
> “Guide the people by governmental measures, and regulate them by the threat of punishment, and the people will try to keep out of jail, but will have no sense of honor or shame. Guide the people by virtue and regulate them by lie (sense of propriety) and the people will have a sense of of honor and respect.”
>
### 2. Li, *****************or the Rationalized Social Order*****************
> Government is defined as putting things in order, but ***li*** is defined “as the order of things”
>
> To adhere to the philosophic meaning, Confucius was trying to restore a social order, based on love for one’s kind and respect for authority, of which the social rites public worship and festivities in ritual and music should be the outward symbols.
>
> And as worship of God and the ancestors of the ruler was to bring about a state of true piety, so the ceremonies of drinking festivals and archery contests in the villages, accompanied with song and dance and kowtowing, teaching villagers to observe form an order in their festivities, were also to bring about a sense of general order and courtesy among the masses.
>
> It is definitely states that the six branches of study in Confucius’ time were: ritual, music, archery, carriage driving, writing and mathematics.
>
### 3. Humanism
> The whole philosophy of ritual and music is but to “set the human heart right,” and the kingdom of God is truly within the man himself.
>
> The humanistic idea of measuring man by man not only forces on to discover the Golden Rule, known in chinese as shu, namely, as Confucius repeatedly said, **“Do not do unto others what you would not have others do unto you.”** Confucius not only gave this as a definition of the “true man,” but also said that it was ****the**** central thread of all his teachings. … if you assume that all men’s reactions are the same in a particular circumstance, and if you place yourself in the other man’s position, you would naturally forgive. Confucianism, therefore, constantly reverted to the personal test of how would you feel yourself or “finding it in yourself”
>
> The best analogy, as given in Chapter III, is that of a carpenter trying to make an axe-handle— all he need to do is to look at the handle of the axe in his own hand for a model. he will not have to go far. The measure of man is man.
>
### 4. *********Personal Cultivation as the Basis of a World Order:*********
> Confucianism traced back the ordering of a national life to the regulation of the family life to the cultivation of the personal life. That means very about the same thing as when modern educators tell us that the reform of the present chaotic world after all must depend on education.
>
> The teaching of young children to live their parents and bothers and to be respectful to their superiors lays the foundation of right mental and moral attitude for growing up to be good citizens.
>
### *******5. The Intellectual Upper Class:*******
> The Theory of imitation, or the power of example results in the doctrine of the intellectual upper class and “government by example.”
>
**Description of a superior man:**
> He is merely a kind and gentle man of moral principles, at the same time a man who loves learning, who is calm himself and perfectly at ease and is constantly careful of his own conduct, believing that by example he has a great example in society in general. He is perfectly at ease in his own station of life and has a certain contempt for the mere luxuries of living. All the moral teachings of Confucius are practically grouped together around this cultivated gentleman
>
> With the existence of an intellectual upper class of rulers, the two meanings merged into one another, and formed a concept very similar to Plato’s “Philosophical King.”
>
## A Brief Estimate of the Character of Confucius
> “Why didn’t you tell him that I am a man who forgets to eat when he is enthusiastic about something who forgets all worries when he is happy, and who is not aware that old age is coming on.” — Confucius on himself
>
Confucius was a charming, merry and witty fellow, who was soft spoken and generally spoken mildly. However, he is not, unlike common portrayal, a saint who cannot hate. He hated some people with such passion that even modern Confucianist scholars scholars do not. **Of everyone he hated most were hypocrites whom he called the “the thieves of Wisdom”.**
An artistic person, he paid great attention to dressing and food. Interestingly, perhaps it was his and his successors exactness that led him, his son and his grandson to be divorced or separated from their wives. He was known for his great love for learning and for his respect for the elderly. He said that there is one like him in every Hamlet of ten families, but none who loved learning as much as him. Particularly, he put great importance to History. He regarded three essential requisites for governance: Character, position of authority and appeal to History.
## III. Sources and Plans for the present book
> But the greatest difficulty for a Western reader in approaching the system of Confucian thought through the Analects lies in the Western reader's habit of reading. He demands a connected discourse, and is content to listen while he expects the writer to talk on and on. There is no such thing as reading a line out of a book and taking a day or two to think about it, to chew and digest it mentally and have it verified by one's own reflections and experience. Actually, the Analects must be read, if it is to be read at all, by having the different aphorisms spread out on the separate days of a calendar block, and letting the reader ponder over one saying each day and no more. This is the orthodox method of studying the Analects, the method of taking a line or two and thoroughly mastering the thought and its implications. This evidently cannot be done with respect to modern readers. Besides, no one can get a well- rounded and consecutive view of the development of Confucius' thoughts by merely reading the Analects.
> -
This is a gracefully written, wonderful introduction to some of the ideas of classic Chinese thought. It features a substantial portion of selected verses from the Analects, the collection of saying of, and stories about, Confucius compiled a couple of centuries after his death, as well as some of the insights of one of his most famous later disciples -- Mencius, and throughout insightful, helpful, and enjoyable commentary by Lin Yutang.
In fact, it was Lin Yutang's writings that led me to purchase an excellent course on the Analects from the Teaching Company's Great Courses lectures and to also begin to read the full Analects with commentary selected from more than two thousand years of scholars.
Recommended for all looking for an intelligent, but approachable, introduction to the accessible writings of the Chinese masters. -
A must read for any history/philosophy/political science student. The Oriental perspective of man is different from the Occidental. If a leader is virtuous, the people will become so. It is a top down theory. Order is maintained through ceremony and an unswerving adherence to tradition and the individual's sacrifice for the family and clan. Confucius teaches how a ruler should be. This work emphasizes happiness through routine and by knowing one's place in society. Those of the lowest tier should not aspire to the greatest, and those on the top should not imitate the practices of the lower classes. Although much may seem archaic, many of his lessons would benefit modern man.
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This is good for an introduction to the topic, or for a better understanding for those who may have no idea at all.
The history of the life of Confucius was probably the most enjoyable section, as it cut out some of the unnecessary opinions of the author (some of which prompt a questioning of his own translation). The rest of the book was a bit redundant and disorganized at times.
In short: While this book provides a good start, I am sure there are better sources available. -
Lin, one of the last true scholars of the age before the communist takeover, makes the works of Confucius accessible and applicable to the modern Western reader. Great translation of the works.
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If you want to know a bit of China, come and visit. If you want to know a bit what Confucious is about, read Lin's book - The Wisdom of Confucius.
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I read this to get a better understanding beyond the jokes and short sayings attributed to Confucius that you learn as a child. While this book did give me a bit more of that understanding it does suffer from some unavoidable problems with the age of the underlying text. After a leader or two in power destroyed writings attributed to him, what we are left with are reconstructions of things written on bamboo stalks. With that particular medium being fairly expensive at the time, words became expensive to store and thus what he wrote may have been truncated or rewritten to save space.
The text that is left covers a wide arrange of things from how to run a government down to how individuals behave. Most of this isn't applicable to daily life but the bits that are hidden in between can be worth it. He has wonderful things to say about the Golden Mean and his examples of who is a "True" man. If these sections were available as separate works of writing, I would recommend purchasing them and reading them separately. This book, however, is likely only to be worth it to those that have an interest in this specific part of history. -
Not what I expected
It is really not fair for me to give a review. But since I read the book I will venture to do so. If I wasn't so OCD about finishing a book, I would have skipped all of the Odes at the end . I have no mind for poetry , especially when the symbolism is from a culture so foreign to Western thinking. Some parts were very interesting and enjoyable , but without a deeper understanding of Chinese culture I felt I was going in blind. Some extra commentary would have helped, but would have made the book so much longer . I was hoping for more short pithy sayings of wisdom in the form of Proverbs, but none were present . Some of the comments were about such mundane things as to not even be worth writing about , but probably had significance to the culture . Maybe before reading this book a person should get a little more background in Chinese culture . So, although this is probably a good book it was not a good book for me. -
Not my cup of tea. Some pearls of wisdom but often buried between "fulfil your role", "uphold the old" and more of what I would describe as overly conservative.
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First, my one problem with this book's layout. Several discourses had direct copies in other places in the book (the sections on aphorisms and "Ethics and Government"), which made the book about twice as long as it needed to be in order to fully expound its message.
Other than that, though, it humanized Confucius for me (putting the man behind that horrible, hideous visage), and taught me the correct way to read his Analects (which should be broadened out to encompass all forms of reading and thought). The correct way being to take one or two statements a day, and to fully think over them and master their implications and nuances. So, now to work on smaller passages for complete comprehension rather than larger ones for mere impressions. -
This is one of my favorites in philosophy. Confucius takes such a positive, simple, and humanistic approach on life which really affects you deeply. It's amazing that Confucius lived more than 2500 years ago; many of teachings still ring true to present day events and views. I also love how you can relate Confucius' life to that of Jesus'. Obviously whoever wrote the bible (especially with Exodus and Moses teachings along with the gospels) was definitely influenced by Confucius. Highly recommended!
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How to write a review? I knew practically nothing about Confucius, and now I know a significant amount. The book wasn't exciting, but it was readable and the editor explained things well.
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Sayings and belief from Confucius as translated by Epiphanius Wilson. The translator has included biographical sketches. The work presents an outlook on life and success.
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I was expecting wisdom not his opinion on if certain ancient Chinese prince's were good ones.
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Not so much read as abandoned about a third of the way through. He may be wise, but I think he dropped the ball somewhat in not getting a good editor.
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Boring
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