Discusses Confucius contributions in the humanities by explaining his concept of moral rectitude.

Essay by demottoUniversity, Bachelor's February 2004

download word file, 5 pages 2.7

Downloaded 167 times

Confucius

Confucius' life was of tremendous importance in the forming of Chinese culture. Confucius' plan and simple approach to life, revealed his deep seeded beliefs that through great human effort one can shape their own future. He had great faith in the ordinary man and believed that they are teachable and perfectible. Confucius believed that ordinary humans could be come awe-inspiring with wisdom and great knowledge. The quest to improve one's "self" became deeply rooted in the Confucian heritage. Confucius' concept of moral rectitude was considered part of the pursuit to becoming the perfected person. Confucius was devoted to learning and teaching. His teaching emphasized self-improvement and moral rectitude. When his words "for the sake of the self" are explored it becomes clear Confucius was constant in his belief of self-improvement through out his life and his work.

Confucius was a philosopher, teacher and political figure that lived from (551-479 BC) in the state of Lu, now know as the Shandong province.

He was a member of the minor aristocracy and bureaucratic class during that time. By the time of his birth, his family had apparently become poverty-stricken. He was known for his conservation of the traditions of ritual and music of the Chou civilization.

At an early age, it was apparent that Confucius was dedicated to learning. Confucius' father died when he was three years old and this probably had a huge impact on his family's class. The lose of his father and his family being poverty-stricken must have been key factors that set him upon his ambitious journey to improve human kind, governments and society. His mother was his first teacher and he developed an emphatic quest for knowledge. It was a common practice for aristocratic families to hire tutors to educate their sons, but Confucius was...