Confucianism: An Introduction 

Confucianism is a principle resulting from reflections on the conditions required for an ideal society. The attitude underlying these reflections regards knowing humanity as more important than knowing nature. If people cannot know and regulate themselves, how can they hope to know and control all of nature? Confucius did not look for the basis of human goodness and mortality outside of human beings. Within humanity itself is to be found the source and structure of human goodness and happiness. It is this attitude that makes Confucianism humanism rather than naturalism.

According to tradition, Confucius drew inspiration from the Five Classics and the expression of his thoughts is contained in the Four Books. The Five Classics are Book of Poetry (Shih Ching), a collection of verses from the Chou period; Book of History (Shu Ching), a collection of records, speeches, and state documents from 2000 to 700 BCE; Book of Changes (I-Ching), a set of formulae for explaining nature, widely used for purposes of divination (this work is traditionally attributed to Wen Wang, 1100 BCE); Book of Rites (Li Chi), a collection of rules regulating social behavior, complied long after Confucius, but probably representing rules and custom from much earlier times; and Spring and Autumn Annals (Chun Chiu), a chronicle of events from 722 to 464 BCE.

	The Four Books are Analects (Lun Yu), the sayings of Confucius to his disciples, collected and edited by them; The Great Learning (Ta Hsueh), the teachings of Confucius containing his suggestions for ordering life and society and reflecting Hsun Tzu's development of Confucius' thought; Doctrine of the Mean (Chung Yung), Confucianism teachings about harmony and balance in life; and Book of Mencius (Meng Tzu), an elaboration of some Confucianism principles by Mencius, an early commentator on Confucius.

	The essence of the Confucianism teachings contained in this literature is that by developing human nature (jen) a person's life and conduct can be perfected. When everyone does this, society will be transformed; goodness and peace will abound and the people will be happy.

Confucius' Humanism Philosophy

	Confucius lived in an age marked by political and social disintegration and a widespread breakdown of mortality. As he was growing up he personally experienced the poverty, political abuse, and hardship that affected the lives of the ordinary people. Recognizing the need for social reform, how could Confucius bring it about? What principles would be the guide and how would they be implemented? Confucius' answer lies in his philosophy, a humanistic social philosophy.

	The most significant feature of humanism is the conviction that human beings are the ultimate source of values. To see what this means it is helpful to contrast humanism with naturalism and supernaturalism. According to naturalism it is nature - the non-human world - that is taken as the ultimate source of values. Here the principles for human actions and life are taken from nature. Discovering how human beings should act is a matter of discovering how nature acts, so that human actions can be in accord with those of nature.

	According to supernaturalism, a force or power other than humans or nature is taken to be the ultimate source of values. A supernatural force is seen as regulating both nature and humans, making them subordinate to this supernatural and superhuman power. The supernatural power may be regarded as creating both nature and humanity, as well as determining their behavior. According to this view, discovering how humans should act is a matter of discovering how this supernatural power intended them to act.

	Humanism becomes possible when humanity itself rather than nature or supernature is taken as the ultimate source of values. Here people look to neither nature nor to the supernatural for norms of life and action; rather they look to the best of their own human practices to find the principles that provide for goodness and happiness. Thus, to call Confucianism a humanism is to say that it is a philosophy that answers the question, How can goodness and happiness be achieved? By pointing to the principles of action found within humanity itself.    

Jen

	Confucianism is essentially the way of jen. What is jen? The word has been translated in many different ways: virtue, humanity, benevolence, true manhood, moral character, love, human goodness and human heartedness, to name a few. The English word "human heartedness" seems to capture most important meanings of jen, for it suggests that jen is what makes us human, that it is a matter of feeling as well as thinking, and that it is the foundation for all human relationships. It also reveals the Chinese emphasis on the heart, rather than the head, as the central feature of human nature.

	Confucius did not give nor defend a definition for jen. This may reflect his understanding that way of humanity is highly personal, lies within each human being, and must be realized in one's personal life; to make it an objective characteristic or feature would be a distortion to jen. He did talk about jen to his students however, trying to help them to realize its meaning in their own lives. For example, when Fan Chih asked what jen is, Confucius replied," It is to love men", suggesting that the human ability to love constitutes the core of human nature.

	The human ability to love others has important moral implications, however, requiring that jen also be thought of in moral terms. Thus, Confucius says,

	Wealth and honor are what every man desires. But if they have been obtained in violation of moral principles, they must not be kept. Poverty and humble stations are what every man dislikes. But if they can be avoided only in violation of moral principles, they must not be avoided. If a superior person departs from humanity how can he fulfill that name? A superior man never abandons humanity even for the lapse of a single meal. In moments of haste, he acts according to it. In times of difficulty and confusion, he acts according to it.
   	  So important is jen that live without it is not worth living. According to Confucius, " A resolute scholar and a man of humanity would never seek to live at the expense of injuring humanity. He would rather sacrifice his life in order to realize humanity".

	Precisely because jen is what that makes us truly human, to abandon it is to give up a human life. Jen is worth sacrificing one's life for; it is the basis of all humanity value and worth. It is jen, ultimately, that makes life worth living. What does it mean to live according to the way of jen? It would require the development of one's human- heartedness and the extension of that human-heartedness to others. 

(All materials was obtained from Asian Philosophies by John M. Koller & Patricia Joyce Koller)