-
Confucius’ thoughts
Confucius’ thought is rich and
profound, mainly consists of the theories of
benevolence
（
仁）
< br>,
Great
Harmony
（大同）
, rites
(
礼
) and the doctrine of the
mean
（中庸）
, covering various
fields
of
social
sciences,
such
as
philosophy,
sociology,
ethics,
education
and
political
science.
1.
Confucius’ thought of
Benevolence
Benevolence
is
the
nucleus
and
the
foundation
of
Confucius’
thought.
It
contains
various
connotations. The
first and the general connotation of benevolence
is “to love the people”. “To
love the people” embodies the spirit of
humanitarianism that reflects human nature.
According
to Confucius, “to love the
people” means to love all people, no matter what
kind of social status
they maintain.
The connotation of
benevolence can be understood from three aspects:
family, government
and one’s
self
-cultivation.
Filial
piety
and
fraternal
duty
are
the
moral
norms
to
which
Confucius
attached
great
importance.
They
take
an
important
position
in
Confucius’
theory
of
benevolence.
To
love
the
people,
one should, first of all, love his parents,
brothers, and sisters, and his family members. If
one does not love his parents, it is
absolutely impossible for him to love other
people.
“Benevolent
government” is an extension of Confucius’ ides of
benevolence. It is Confucius’
social
and political ideal he pursued all his life. When
talking of how the ruler should govern his
country, he said, “In ruling a state of
one thousand war
-chariots, the ruler
should attend strictly
to business,
punctually observe his promises, economize in
expenditure(
花费
), show
affection to
his subjects, and use
labor of peasant only in the
slack(
萧条的
) season of the
year. (
道千乘之国，
敬事而信，节用而爱人，使民以时
)” What Confucius said is of great
realistic significance today.
According to Confucius, to love the
people one must be benevolent. To be benevolent,
one
must pay attention to
self-
cultivation, and overcome
selfishness. He said, “If you yourself desire
establishment,
then
help
others
to
get
establishment;
if
you
yourself
want
success,
then
help
others
to attain
success.
（己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人）
” And
“ Never do to others what you
wouldn’t
like them to do to
you.
（己所不欲，勿施于人）
”
2. Confucius’ thought of Great
Harmony
“Great
harmony”
is
the
highest
realm
of
Confucius’
social
ideal.
It
is
the
blueprint
of
his
idealized society. He
described, “In the i
deal society of
Great Harmony, the world belongs to the
public. The virtuous and competent are
selected. Faithfulness is fostered and good
neighborliness
is cultivated. People do
not only love their own parents or care for their
own children. The aged
will have their
homes, the middle-aged will find their use and the
youngsters are well-bred. All
solitary
persons
such
as
widows
and
widowers,
the
deformed
and
diseased,
adults
without
children or children
without parents, have a place to live in and are
taken good care of. All men
have their
positions; all women each have their home. It is
hateful to lay goods aside wastefully
and
unnecessary
to
hide
for
oneself.
It
is
also
hateful
to
make
no
efforts
of
one’s
own
and
unnecessary
to
make
efforts
for
oneself.
Consequently,
conspiracies
are
prevented,
theft
and
robbery
are stopped, and there is no need to shut the
outdoor of a house. This is the society of
Great Harmony.
（大道之行也，天下为公。选
贤与能，讲信修睦。故人不独亲其亲，不独子
其子。使老有所终，壮有所用，幼有所长。
鳏寡孤独废疾者，皆有所养。男有分，女有归。
货恶其弃于地也，不必藏于己。力恶其不
出于身也，不必为己。是故谋闭而不兴，盗窃乱贼
而不作。故外户而不闭。是谓大同。<
/p>
——
《礼运大同篇》
）
< br>