Basis of Society Confucius

History 8 China Review 100 Schools of Thought

Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who arose during the Axis Age, proposed many ideals to govern society that are still alive today in China. His highest principles involved the concept of a moral order sustained by virtue and ritual. His main mission was building a just and stable society on Earth that would live through his morals and ideals. His explanation on how to build such a society was for everyone to have goodness in their hearts and live through his teachings. He argued that all a society needed to be successful was moral virtue, not money or military prowess. He also decreed that leaders needed to be merciful and virtuous to their people. If their people were oppressed, they would not respect their leaders, therefore the entire society would collapse. He wrote all of his teachings in the Confucian Classics, which became the main guiding force of Chinese society.

Source: Manual pgs. 181-182

-Noah Garcia