What are the main ideas of Confucius?

Confucius’s main thoughts are divided into: moral thoughts, political thoughts, economic thoughts, educational thoughts, aesthetic thoughts, historical thoughts, tourism concepts, and life concepts. The specific content is as follows:

Moral Thought

Confucius constructed a complete ideological system of "morality": advocating the virtues and virtues of "benevolence and propriety" at the individual level. The moral and moral ideological system is based on the theory of human nature and goodness ("one yin and one yang are called Tao, followed by goodness, and completed by nature"), with the purpose of establishing human poles ("the way of three poles"), and based on The way of humanity intersects with the way of heaven and earth, and the moderation of humanity turns into a complete ideological system of methodology in due course.

Confucius’ theory of benevolence embodies the spirit of humanity, while Confucius’ theory of etiquette embodies the spirit of etiquette, that is, order and system in the modern sense. Humanism is an eternal theme of mankind and is applicable to any society, any era, and any government. An orderly and institutional society is the basic requirement for the establishment of a human civilized society. Confucius's spirit of humanism and order is the essence of ancient Chinese social and political thought.

The highest ideal of Confucius in his later years was called "Great Harmony". In the world of Great Harmony, people in the world not only regard their own family members as relatives, not only love their own parents and children, but also love each other. Respect and love everyone in the world. Let the old age have a end, the strong be useful, the children can receive warmth and care, the lonely and disabled people have someone to rely on, the men each have their own affairs, and the women have a satisfactory destination. There are no deceivers or thieves in the world, no items are picked up on the road, no doors are closed at night, everyone is trustworthy and cultivates harmony, selects talents and promotes talents, the path is followed, and the world is fair.

Political Thought

The core content of Confucius' political thought is "propriety" and "benevolence". In terms of the strategy of governing the country, he advocated "governing with virtue" and using morality and etiquette. To govern the country is the most noble way of governing the country. This kind of governance strategy is also called "Government by virtue" or "Government by etiquette". This strategy imparted virtues and etiquette to the people, tightened the hierarchy, and clearly divided the nobility and the common people into the rulers and the ruled. It broke an important original boundary between nobles and common people.

Confucius lived in the State of Lu in the Western Zhou Dynasty, which had a deep tradition of patriarchal rituals. At this time, the ruling power of the Zhou Dynasty had ceased to exist in name only, and the princes were constantly fighting each other. There was a situation where "the king mourned, etiquette and justice were abolished, and political power was lost. The social reality of "the family is different from the customs" and "the king is not the king, the minister is not the minister, the father is not the father, the son is not the son" became the characteristics of that era. The intensification of social contradictions has hindered the development of productive forces, and human spirit and beliefs have also suffered unprecedented damage. These principles together constitute the historical origins and social conditions for the emergence of Confucius' political thought. "Benevolence" and "propriety" are the basic spirit of his political thought.

Confucius’ highest political ideal is to establish a harmonious society in which “the world is for the common good”. The basic characteristics of the "Datong" society are: the road is smooth and "the world is for the common good", so it can "select the talented and capable, be trustworthy and cultivate harmony", "people do not only kiss their relatives, do not only have children of their own children, so that they can die in old age. "The strong are useful, the young are capable, the lonely, the disabled, and the sick are all supported." Conspiracy and fraud are not popular, and theft and mischief cannot be tolerated. This is an idealized and legendary primitive social scene of the Yao and Shun era, and it is also the scene of Confucius. The highest ideal society we long for. A "moderately prosperous" society is the lower political goal advocated by Confucius. The basic characteristics of a "moderately prosperous" society are: the great road disappears, "the world is one family", "everyone has his own relatives, every son has his own son, and his own goods and resources are his own". In line with this kind of inequality between rich and poor, high and low, there has been A series of regulations, systems, ethics and morals have been established, "to rectify the monarch and his ministers, to respect father and son, to harmonize brothers, to harmonize husband and wife", "to establish the fields, to know the wise and courageous", and correspondingly, "city walls, ditches and ponds are to be built as solid foundations". , so, "The purpose is to make plans, and the war starts from this." This kind of society is obviously not as perfect as the "Great Harmony" world, but it has normal order, courtesy, benevolence, trust and righteousness, so it is called well-off. This kind of society actually describes the "prosperity" of class society after the emergence of "private ownership".

Confucius’ ideals of a “Great Harmony” society and a “moderately prosperous” society had a profound impact on later generations of China. Later, thinkers at different historical periods and stages put forward visions and goals with different contents. This kind of thinking also inspired progressive thinkers and reformers. Hong Xiuquan, Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Sun Yat-sen were all influenced by it.

Economic Thoughts

The most important economic thoughts of Confucius are the concept of righteousness and benefit, which emphasizes justice over profit, and the idea of ??"enriching the people". This is also the main content of Confucian economic thought and has a great influence on later generations.

Confucius’ so-called “righteousness” is a social moral norm, and “profit” refers to people’s pursuit of material interests. Regarding the relationship between "righteousness" and "benefit", Confucius placed "righteousness" in the first place. He said: "When you see benefit, you think of righteousness." It requires people to first consider how to comply with "righteousness" before material interests. He believes that "righteousness can then be obtained", that is, only if it meets "righteousness" can it be obtained. Confucius even advocated "rare words about benefit" in "The Analects of Confucius Zihan", that is, saying less about "benefit", but it does not mean that there is no need for "benefit". "Zuo Zhuan: The Second Year of Chenggong" records that gaining wealth by doing unethical things is like floating clouds, and disdains using unjust means to gain wealth. Confucius also believed that the attitude towards "righteousness" and "benefit" can distinguish between "gentlemen" and "villains". A moral "gentleman" can easily understand the importance of "righteousness", while a "villain" who lacks moral cultivation only knows "profit" but not "righteousness". This is what Confucius said in "The Analects of Confucius: Li Ren" that "a gentleman is likened to righteousness, and a villain is likened to benefit."

Some people think that since Confucius valued "righteousness", he must despise physical labor. This view is wrong. "The Analects" records that he was very dissatisfied with his disciple Fan Chi who wanted to learn agriculture and called him a "little man". This is because Confucius believed that people should have greater ideals and pursuits, and should bear greater responsibilities. He wants his students to become value bearers rather than farmers. [29]

Educational Thoughts

Confucius was the first in Chinese history to propose that people have similar innate qualities, and personality differences are mainly due to the influence of acquired education and social environment ("Sex is similar, but habits are far apart") also"). Therefore, everyone can be educated and everyone should be educated. He advocated "education without distinction", founded private schools, and recruited students widely. He broke the monopoly of slave-owning aristocrats on school education, expanded the scope of education to common people, and conformed to the trend of social development at that time. He advocated "If you are good at learning, you will become an official." If you have enough energy after studying, you can become an official. The purpose of his education was to cultivate gentlemen who would serve in politics, and gentlemen must have high moral qualities. Therefore, Confucius emphasized that school education must give top priority to moral education ("Disciples will be filial when they enter, be cowardly when they leave, be cautious and trustworthy, Love everyone universally and be kind to others. If you have enough energy to practice, study literature.")

In terms of teaching methods, Confucius required teachers to have an educational outlook of "teaching without distinction", "economicalizing the country and helping the world", a methodology of "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude", and a "heuristic" methodology, and focusing on children's enlightenment and enlightenment education. He educates students to have an honest attitude towards learning, to be humble and eager to learn, and to review the knowledge they have learned from time to time, so that they can "review the past and learn the new", expand and deepen the new knowledge, and "draw inferences from one example".

The main contents of Confucius’ moral education are “propriety” and “benevolence”. Among them, "propriety" is the moral norm, and "benevolence" is the highest moral principle. "Ritual" is the form of "benevolence", and "benevolence" is the content of "ritual". With the spirit of "benevolence", "ritual" can be truly enriched. In terms of moral cultivation, he proposed methods such as establishing ambition, self-denial, practice, introspection, and the courage to make corrections. "Learn to know" is the dominant idea of ??Confucius' teaching thought. While advocating not being ashamed to ask questions and being open-minded and eager to learn, he emphasized the combination of learning and thinking ("Learning without thinking is a waste, thinking without learning is peril"). At the same time, he must also "apply what he has learned" and apply the learned knowledge to social practice.

He was the first to propose heuristic teaching. He said: "If you are not angry, you are not enlightened; if you are not angry, you are not angry." This means that teachers should inspire and enlighten students appropriately when they think seriously and have reached a certain level. He was also the first educator to adopt the method of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude in teaching practice. Home. Through conversations and individual observations, he understands and is familiar with the students' personality characteristics. On this basis, he adopts different educational methods according to the specific conditions of each student to cultivate talents in morality, language, politics, literature and other aspects. . Confucius loved education and was engaged in educational activities throughout his life. He is tireless in learning and teaching. He not only teaches by words, but also teaches by example, influencing students with his exemplary behavior. He loves his students and they respect him very much. The relationship between teachers and students is very harmonious. He is a shining example of ancient Chinese teachers.

Confucius’ educational activities not only cultivated many students, but also the educational theories he proposed based on practice laid the theoretical foundation for ancient Chinese education. Due to Confucius's conservative political attitude, the reform of the economic system also reflected conservative ideas. For example, in the fifteenth year of Lu Xuangong (594 BC), the "initial taxation of acres" was implemented, which legally recognized the legal status of private land, which was a major economic reform in the Spring and Autumn Period; however, according to "Zuo Zhuan", Confucius revised " In the Spring and Autumn Annals, the "first taxation of acres" was recorded, with the purpose of criticizing it as "indecent". But if the people are not rich, no king will be rich. It is also recorded in "The Analects of Confucius·Yao" that Confucius advocated "benefiting the people for their benefit", that is, only doing things that are beneficial to the people. On the other hand, he also advocated that taxes should be lighter and the allocation of corvees should not delay the farming season. "The Analects of Confucius Shuer" records that Confucius also preached to the politicians at that time, asking them not to be too extravagant and to pay attention to frugality. He said: "Luxury is not inferior, frugality is solid. Rather than being inferior, it is better to be solid." At the same time, he also advocated "being frugal and loving others." This includes applying Confucius' "benevolence" thought to the economic field.

Aesthetic Thought

The core of Confucius’ aesthetic thought is the unity of “beauty” and “goodness”, as well as the unity of form and content. Confucius advocated "poetry", that is, combining literature and art with political morality, using literature and art as a means to change society and politics, and an important way to cultivate sentiment. Moreover, Confucius believed that a perfect person should cultivate his character in poetry, etiquette, and music. Confucius's aesthetic thoughts had a huge influence on later literary and artistic theories.

Confucius clearly put forward famous aesthetic propositions such as "beauty lies within" and "different people have different opinions" in Yi Xue. "Tongzi Asks the Book of Changes" published by the People's Publishing House puts forward the Mei Zong based on the Yi Zong - the beauty of masculinity and femininity; the beauty of life; the beauty of freedom; and the beauty of harmony. He believes that "the beauty of yin and yang, the beauty of life, the beauty of freedom, and the beauty of neutrality can be said to be the ancestors of aesthetics."

Historical Thoughts

An important proposition of Confucius's historical thoughts is "straight", that is, the study of history must seek truth from facts, not only pay attention to the basis, but also "know what you know, and what you don't know don't know" "("Wei Zheng"), he tried his best to oppose those who are arrogant and not straight, saying: "I don't know how to be arrogant but not straight, Dong but unwilling, depressed and unbelieving," ("Tai Bo") This consistent proposition is also reflected in his attitude towards history.

Confucius’s view of history is not only reflected in his attitude and views on history, but also in his view of historical development. Confucius believed that history is constantly "gaining and losing". He said: "The gains and losses of Yin due to Xia's rituals can be known; the gains and losses of Zhou's due to Yin's rituals can be known" ("Wei Zheng"). The Zhou Dynasty was summarizing the two periods of Xia and Yin. On the basis of modern times, unprecedented civilization has been achieved. History does not go backwards, but catches up from behind and develops forward. Although this idea is very hazy, it is a valuable beginning for the theory of evolution in the history of our country's history.

Travel concept

Confucius traveled extensively throughout his life. From his long travel career, he realized a profound philosophy of life and formed a unique perspective on travel. Confucius' "tour" mainly has three forms: sightseeing, study tour, and official tour. In other words, Confucius learned and taught while traveling, sought and became an official while traveling, developed a happy mood while traveling, and enlightened and preached while traveling. His travel behavior is inseparable from studying and becoming an official. Confucius's thoughts on tourism can be roughly summarized as follows:

Confucius's views on distant travel and close travel

Confucius said: "A gentleman cherishes virtue, and a villain cherishes earth." Living alone is not enough to be a scholar." It means that a gentleman should not miss his hometown, but should increase his knowledge and realize his lofty ideals and ambitions by traveling around. It can be seen from this that Confucius "revisited" and opposed the psychology and behavior of "huai home" and "homeland", and even regarded the desire for a peaceful home and nostalgia for the homeland as the distinguishing mark between a gentleman and a villain. But Confucius also said: "If you don't travel far away when your parents are around, you must have a good way to travel." This clearly expressed his idea of ??advocating near travel. "When parents are here, don't travel far away" is also a reflection of Confucianism's advocacy of filial piety, serving parents, and paying attention to human ethics.

So Confucius not only "travels again", but also opposes "traveling far away" and advocates "traveling near", isn't it contradictory? In fact, it is not true. Confucius's view of near travel and far travel are not contradictory, but a unity of opposites, similar to the relationship between "fish and bear's paw". Traveling far and near actually reflects the Confucian unity of opposites between "loyalty" and "filial piety," serving the country and serving one's parents. Although Confucius advocated "near travel", he did not blindly reject far travel. Although he advocated the implementation of filial piety, he also advocated "ruling the country and bringing peace to the world." Whether it is suitable for long-distance travel or short-term travel, the criterion for choosing is whether it is "proper". In fact, many of the disciples who traveled around the world with Confucius for 14 years have parents who are still alive. What Confucius opposed was only "traveling far away" without legitimate purpose but exceeding the reasonable level.

Confucius focused on cultural travel and natural travel, and advocated the "view of mountains and rivers as compared to morality"

Confucius traveled all over the world throughout his life, paying attention to listening and observing etiquette, and pioneered cultural tourism in China. According to historical records: "Confucius once entered the Zhou Dynasty in the west, asked Lao Dan about etiquette, learned music from Chang Hong, and observed the emperor's governance." The drunkard's intention was not to drink, but Confucius' intention to enter the Zhou Dynasty was to learn music and etiquette from Lao Dan. In addition, Confucius visited Qi and exchanged views on "happiness" with Qi Taishi and achieved a state of selflessness. "The Analects of Confucius·Shuer": "When Zi was in Qi, he heard "Shao" and learned it. In March, he didn't know the taste of meat, and said: 'I don't want to do it for pleasure.'" Confucius traveled around to learn and appreciate ancient rituals Happy civilization, this is actually what is now called cultural tourism.

In addition to advocating the cultural journey of listening to the good rites, Confucius also focused on the natural journey of appreciating the mountains and rivers. Regarding the natural landscapes of mountains and rivers, Confucius paid more attention to the feeling of "beauty", such as what we are familiar with: "The wise are happy with water, the benevolent are happy with mountains; the wise are active, the benevolent are quiet; the wise are happy, and the benevolent are long-lived." In Confucius' view, a wise man The intelligence and sharpness of the human being are connected with the metaphysical nature of the flowing water; the generous character of the benevolent man is connected with the solemn and steady mountain. This is the aesthetic and experiential view of "Landscape Biide". "Bi" refers to symbol or analogy, and "De" refers to ethics or spiritual quality. It means that when appreciating the natural landscape, we associate it with human moral character based on its characteristics, that is, to personify the natural landscape.

Confucius advocated healthy and moderate travel and opposed lost tourism

Confucius once said: "Three pleasures are beneficial, and three pleasures are detrimental. Enjoy festivals, etiquette, and music, and enjoy the goodness of Taoists. It is beneficial to have many virtuous friends. It is harmful to take pleasure in being arrogant, taking pleasure in wandering, and enjoying pleasure." In other words, taking pleasure in being proud, taking pleasure in wandering around, taking pleasure in idleness, and taking pleasure in large and small feasts are all harmful. hapiness. It can be seen that Confucius opposed idleness, debauchery, unrestrained play and other idle behaviors. He believes that traveling beyond personal physical and mental endurance and the permission of social etiquette, the happiness brought by traveling is temporary and limited, and will cause great harm to oneself.

Concept of life

◎When you are angry, you forget to eat, when you are happy you forget your worries

When Confucius was 62 years old, he once described himself like this: "He is a man who forgets to eat when he is angry." "Be happy and forget your worries, not knowing that old age is coming." At that time, Confucius had led his disciples to travel around the world for nine years. They had gone through many hardships and not only failed to get appointed by the princes, but also almost died. However, Confucius did not give up despite the difficulties and remained optimistic. Go up and stick to your ideals, even if you know that you can't do it.

◎Be poor and happy

Confucius said: "Being rich and noble without justice is like a floating cloud to me." In Confucius's mind, doing justice is the highest value of life. When there is a conflict between morality and justice, he would rather suffer poverty than give up morality. However, his belief in living in poverty and enjoying the Tao cannot be seen as not seeking wealth, but only seeking to maintain the Tao. This is not in line with historical facts. Confucius once said: "Wealth and honor are what people want; if they don't follow the right way, they won't get it. Poverty and lowliness are what people hate; if they don't follow the right way, they won't get it." " If you are rich and can be asked for, even if you are a man with a whip, I will do it. If you can't ask for it, then I will do what I like.

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◎Never tired of learning and teaching

Confucius was famous for his eagerness to learn and showed a strong interest in all kinds of knowledge. Therefore, he was famous for his versatility and profound knowledge at the time. He was almost regarded as an all-knowing sage, but Confucius himself did not think so. Confucius said: "If sage and benevolent, how dare I? Never tire of doing it, never tire of teaching. "Confucius studied impermanence as a teacher. Whoever has knowledge or knows something he doesn't know, he will worship him as his teacher. Therefore, he said, "When three people walk together, they must have my teacher. Choose the good ones and follow them, and follow the bad ones. Change it. ”

◎Practice on a straight path

Confucius was upright by nature, and advocated walking on a straight path. He once said: “As for me, who will criticize me and who will praise me?” If you have a reputation, you have to try it. This is the people, the reason why the three generations have followed the straight path. "Historical Records" records that when Confucius was in his thirties, he asked Lao Tzu for etiquette. When leaving, Lao Tzu said: "A person who is wise and insightful and close to the deceased is also a person who likes to discuss others." Those who speak eloquently endanger their own lives and bring evil to others. He who is the son of others should not think of himself, and he who is the subject of others should not think of himself. "This is Laozi's kind reminder to Confucius, and he also pointed out some of Confucius' shortcomings, that is, he looks at problems too deeply, speaks too sharply, and hurts some people with status, which will bring great danger to himself.

◎Be kind to others

Confucius founded a moral theory centered on benevolence. He himself was also a very kind person, compassionate, helpful, sincere and generous to others. “Do not do what you do not want others to do. "Do good to others", "The beauty of a gentleman is the beauty of being an adult, and the evil of being an immature person", "Be kind to oneself but not responsible for others", etc. are all his principles of life. Confucius said: "I am determined to learn when I am fifteen, and when I am thirty When standing up, at forty there is no confusion, at fifty one knows the destiny, at sixty one's ears are attuned, and at seventy one follows one's heart's desires without exceeding the rules. "This is Confucius' summary of each stage of his life.