I really would like you to talk about creationism and other fundamentalist beliefs because of how controversial they are and how people believe them come under lots of scrutiny. Growing up in a fundamentalists family, this really hits home.
@@thijsjong In Confucius' mind, I think he would've thought that corruption wouldn't exist since the ruler would always be able to empathize with the people, since everything was based around the family, I don't think he wanted people to do nothing if their family was disrespectful or abusive.
This video was incorrect when it said Confucius was descedant of Zhou royal family, he wasn't. He was descendant of Shang royal family which was previous Dynasty that the Zhou dynasty took over. Confuscius advocated many Shang Dynasty rituals and traditions.
Peace be unto all, wars are pointless and should be avoided at all costs, so let's develop horrific new military technologies and mighty siege engines!
@@Hannah_Em well, there are still ritual of honoring and pray to ancestors in Confucianism ( Confucius actually said this is very important ) so there are somekind of religious practice here, Mohism don't have any intiation ritual or any religious ritual at all. So it can't be a religion while Confucianism can.
Although the vast majority of Chinese people would not identify themselves as Confucianists, it seems clear that Confucianism has had a profound effect on the culture and many Chinese values originate back to it.
I would disagree with this statement. That's like saying that the ocean originates from the yellow river - yes it's a part of it, but it's a very small part at this point.
@@xunzi4327 Several distinct features of Chinese culture - emphasis on education, respect for parents, greater concern for the physical world rather than the immaterial or eschatological - all of these seem to be present within Confucianism. It could be the case I'm being too essentialist, or maybe these features were present in China before Confucianism. I'm sure other philosophies/religions also play a significant role in shaping Chinese culture. At minimum though, I feel like u can say that Confucianism has a distinctly Chinese flavour to it.
I completely agree with you. Though Confucianism has been studied and reinterpreted many times in China by their scholars throughout its existence for the past 2000 years.It has been slighted altered and reinterpreted by Rulering elites of the later eras to fit their ruling demands, so the version we see right now isn't the version Confucius of the pre-Qxin dynasty.
It should be mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party gutted the heart and soul of Chinese cultural consciousness. Traditions and philosophies such as Confucianism are no longer a part of the vast majority of the Chinese people (i.e. those living in China), and any residual practices are but a pale facsimile of prior tradition. These traditions are largely carried on only in the Chinese diaspora. The Cultural Revolution was one of the greatest crimes against humanity in history.
In my first lesson of the Chinese Religion and Philosophy course in university, my professor expressed his contempt for the name of the course "Religion and Philosophy" because the separation of these as two separate concepts is a modern western idea. In ancient China these concepts were one in the same.
Actually, in ancient Western society, there was no such classified discipline as philosophy and religion in the narrow sense today. It was only in modern times that with the continuous deepening of human understanding of the world, many disciplines gradually emerged. In ancient Greece during the same period as Confucius, many disciplines were all philosophy.
The fact that in Chinese religion has multiple terms and philosophy has to be loaned from Japanese translation of Western system demonstrated well there is no native distinction of philosophy in Chinese worldview
@@ReligionForBreakfast When will the third episode about Confucianism be completed? I hope to see it as soon as possible? I also hope that for the Confucianism video in the third episode, you can refer to Confucianism in Indonesia. Confucianism is one of the six official religions recognized by the Indonesian government. Confucianism in Hong Kong is also one of the six official religions recognized by the Hong Kong government and is stipulated in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. .
If you are going with Confucianism the next series must be on Daoism. After all Lao Tzu was contemporary to Confucius, and both teachings were very intervened threw all time. I even would say that daoism was occupying the lacking mystical part of confucianism.
Yeah. I kept being reminded during this video of the part in the Tao Te Ching where it talks about how the disordered society is full of dutiful children and parents, and loyal patriots. There are so many direct subversions of Confucianism in Taoism, and it can really give you an insight into what was going on at the time and the kinds of conflicts that happen between states and the communities they have power over.
@@seand.g423I as a pagan would love a series of neo-paganism and where it’s coming from with rituals and practices and how they differ or attempt to revive their original said practices
Man oh i was super excited for this series, and you delivered it. Gonna be waiting for the next one episode anxiously. Finding this channel have made this 2021 much more enjoyable and full of learning, much thanks for the great content.
Is Confucianism a religion? That’s a good question. Religious studies books always seem to take this for granted. And at first thought, I don’t know. Give us an answer Master Breakfast!
No, it isn't. Confucianism is more like a philosophy. There are the religious aspect of confucianism, mainly with the Dao, but looking at the 3 aspects of what makes up a religion, Confucianism doesn't fit all the criteria. Source: My philosophy professor, a Confucianism scholar in the National University of Taiwan. Pei-Jeng Fu I wanted to provide more info, but it has been years since it took his class and I'm not a major in philosophy so feel free to correct me. There are free online classes by him for anyone interested, though it is in Chinese. ocw.aca.ntu.edu.tw/ntu-ocw/index.php/ocw/cou/103S106
@@wolfy8006 It is and isn't. Just as many people, some Buddhists, disagree whether Buddhism is or is not a religion; most say it is, though many are atheists (a religion does not have to have a god or goddess).
@@wolfy8006 Just because your philosophy professor said it isn't is not the final say on the question. You/we can think for yourself; we can have permission to disagree and debate with our teachers. As a college professor myself, I wish more of my students would question what I say, question what the authors of our texts say, do more of their own thinking.
I can see the value of this system as a means to an end; and given the context of its creation, I can't really blame anyone involved, but to me, the fact it would later spread as far as the Shogunate, says a lot more about its value as a means to strict social control from on high... Something i think can be done without enforcing what are often strictly oppressive hierarchies..
I think the other side of those hierarchies that the video didn't go into is that if a higher member of a hierarchy fails in their duty, the lower member does not owe them loyalty and it is ok to rebel against bad rulers. This is how Confucianism integrates with the mandate of heaven
@@erdood3235 the mandate of heaven is the way chinese emperors are legitimized. The most simplified way to explain it is that an emperor who brings prosperity and good fortune has the mandate of heaven and one who brings hardship has lost the mandate of heaven. Natural disaster or good weather conditions were part of this. An emperor who has lost the mandate is meant to be disposed through revolution and then a new dynasty is created, or they crush the revolution which affirms their mandate.
It's crazy though when Western philosophers mention these social heirarchies which are very similar then woketivists throw a fit and scream about how "western culture is oppressive" yet here we see that throughout history in many ancient cultures across the world social heirarchies have existed and still do exist to this day....not that they are always good, personally I think they are a product of the time they appear in to maintain social order and peace but the fact remains, they existed everywhere not just in the West
_Disclaimer: I am not a historian or any kind of expert in this field. I would simply like to offer my take on some of the points addressed in this video both for fun and for discussion._ *On Ru (儒)* At around 2:49 you introduce the term Ru as being synonymous with the term "Confucians" but in my opinion, a distinction is important here. To quote from Mou Zongsan's *19 Lectures on Chinese Philosophy*: > "Because Confucius's teachings forms a 家 (the -ism in Confucianism), this indicates that he has some expertise or specialist knowledge, namely the six arts; as such Confucianism is so called Ru-ism (儒家)... Although one can view Confucianism as a philosophical system, Confucius is also the the teacher of Ritual, Music, Archery, Riding, Writing, and Math (the Six Arts), and is an expert in them. Where, however, do these Six Arts come from? They come from the Imperial Court (Zhou)." The designation 儒 (Ru), therefore indicates an expertise in the Six Arts of the Zhou dynasty. These were not invented by Confucius himself (See Analects 7.1). *On the Centrality of Ren (仁)* Going back to Mou Zongsan for a moment, one finds in his *Lectures* this statement about the "uniqueness" of Confucianism: > "Confucius' Ritual and Music arise out of Ren (Humaneness), Ren therefore is the *principle* of Ritual and Music... In order for Ritual and Music to have real meaning, they have to rely on Ren. Thus Confucius says: 'A man without Ren, what has he to do with Ritual? A man without Ren, what has he to do with Music?' If a person lacks Ren, then what would be the point of his practicing music everyday? What is the point of only maintaining the form of Ritual? In this sense, Ren should be seen as the central guiding principle---a transcendental principle that floats above all of the things mentioned in 6:35. Although you touch on this point at around 12:00, there are a few things that I would like to add: (1) Ren is immanent within the individual, as you say it is really just "humaneness." Mencius gives the following example: If one sees a child fall into a well, then we will feel alarm and distress (Mencius 3.6). This kind of *connectedness* is not something that we have to cultivate to have, but instead it is already present within us, most prominently within the family (See Analects 1.2, also see Shun, _On the Idea of No Self_ ). We should likewise keep this discussion of Ren in mind when we discuss Ritual (14:05); Rituals, for Confucius were not an unchanging entity. Rather he accepted change in Ritual when change was organic. Consider Confucius' comments on the past dynasties in Analects 2.23 (See also Mou, _19 Lectures on Chinese Philosophy_ ). *Closing Thoughts* To put it simply, Confucius' saw a declining moral landscape in his own time, and tried to solve these issues by revitalizing Zhou dynasty rites and social conventions with his ideas on Ren and the other virtues. The primary concern, therefore, was to reinstate virtue in men, not to maintain outdated rituals (as he is sometimes portrayed as doing). Virtuous men, he thought, produced a virtuous society. However, in his own time, one lacking virtue, he aspired to instill virtue in men by recreating in part the society of the past. This, in my view, is the most important point.
@@ReligionForBreakfast interestingly you should also mention yin yang principles (the taijitu symbol) is only ever mentioned barely once in the Tao Te ching and the symbol is older than Daoism. It was not created by Lao Tzu or Daoist philosophical masters or religious practitioners
@@ReligionForBreakfast the symbol is complicated but it’s gravely misunderstood in the west. It’s a universal symbol to mean Heaven ( Sky, Tian) and Earth, its a universal symbol of polarity, of opposing/complimentary forces, feminine yin, masculine yang. But it’s been misinterpreted to only mean “light and dark” or brightness and shade and it’s also misinterpreted to mean good and evil in which you shouldn’t associate either principles with
@@ReligionForBreakfast and you should also mention Wuji (meaning “nothingness” “limitless” “infinite” “ultimate” “primordial universe” “Supreme Ultimate”) which is associated with Daoism but for some reason in the west the yin yang symbol the Taijitu symbol is only known or associated with Daoism
@@ReligionForBreakfast Was just looking for Daoism. Have been binge-watching videos about Chinese people, history, culture, civilisation and philosophy. I'm trying to get a better understanding of all things Chinese. Please do prioritise the Chinese triangle of Taoism, Zen Buddhism and Confucianism! Thanks 😊
Chinese history is one of my favorite subjects, and I'm always eager to learn more about things like Confucianism, so I can't wait for the other episodes!! Seriously, I can't wait.
Thank you for covering this. Buddhism gets a lot of a press as one of the top five major world religions, but no one in the West ever talks about Confucianism as a major religion, philosophy, or political structure, despite it's having a huge cultural impact on about a quarter of the world's population. Many of it's concepts, such as its emphasis on humanism and the idea of open, meritorious government, were millenia ahead of their time.
@@UnlimitedPower-g8c The debate about whether Confucianism is a religion o a philosophy is born from the fact that the the division between the two is largely a product of Western culture. Confucianism doesn't fit neatly into one or the other category, it's a broad system of values and practices that have religious, philosophical, and political implications. I don't think it's quite right to call it an atheistic religion, either, because it does believe in Heaven, which is a kind of divine force roughly analogous to the Abrahamic God, but it is also a fundamentally Humanist system, with a primary emphasis on human interactions in this world. Again, it's hard to define using conventional Western religious terminology because it was created outside of such systems of thinking and organization.
@@MadHatter42 Exactly, it's just that they don't understand, and they should view Confucianism like they view ancient Greek philosophy. Because Confucius was almost in the same period as ancient Greece, and at that time in the West, there was no narrow distinction between philosophy and religion like today. They were all broad philosophy.
I never thought 君子和而不同，小人同而不和 could be construed as a contrast between equality and harmony in a hierarchy (10:19). I always thought it's a statement about holding fast to one's own thoughts and convictions in interactions with others. You've presented a fascinating interpretation.
I often see that translated as "partisans" or "cliques" so I'm not sure that was the intention. After all Confucius saw a lot of partisan gaming in the state he worked in and how they manipulated the politics to suit their needs. Here is my poor translation, the "Gentleman is harmonious, no need to be a member (of a clique)", the small man is a member (of a clique), (he has) no need to be harmonious."
Well, let's put it this way: is placing flowers on the grave or at a memorial site equivalent to worshiping the dead? I've seen incense sticks placed in front of Christian graves in Taiwan without objection because it's kinda like placing flowers there. I've seen Catholics giving three bows of respect to the portrait of the dead in a funeral service in Taiwan. (But kowtows would be strongly frowned upon for Christian funerals. One has to be standing when making the bows). Also, given that Confucianism emphasizes hierarchy, it can be understandable how latter Buddhism became attractive in China in the sense that one isn't always stuck in the hierarchy: one can improve oneself and reincarnate into something better.
Good question. What's the difference between memorizing the dead and worshipping them? Remember ancestral worship is very common in Chinese culture and worshipping Confucius is often blended with it. But as a Chinese person we don't really consider ancestral worship as a religious practice.
@@cfromnowhere I wonder if "worship" might not even be the best word to use for it. "Reverence" for ancestors might be more precise, without suggestion of religious aspect to it.
In the Bible, God commanded Moses to burn incense as a sacrifice at an altar.. so there is Christian usage of incense. There's also the gifts of the Magi, which included Frankincense
@@zacharyyan4898 And the Talmud tries to provide a more precise formula/recipe for making this incense because certain ingredients in the Book of Exodus cannot be determined with certainty. Maybe ReligionForBreakfast should investigate this (if he hasn't already done so), but there's a penalty for being cut off from God if the incense is used for wrong purposes. I wonder if the Samaritan Israelis burn incense on Mt. Gerizim . . . . . .
@lati long plus, what about all those roadside memorials to the dead, and when people go to visit their dead loved ones at cemeteries, and even our monuments, memorials, and statues dedicated to our own national heros. These remembrances and memorials are not considered "worship". Even the more blatant acts of "praying to" saints is not the same as "worship". We just trust that those who have gone before us are now in a higher/ spirit realm where they are "watching over" us and might be able to help if we call on them.
When it comes to the episode about Confucianism and Vietnam, can you touch on the issue of how Confucianism clashed with the indigenous matriarchal customs of Vietnam as evidenced in the rebellion of the Trung Sisters?
While Confucianism was technically the state ideology of the time, it would be difficult to say that Confucianism specifically clashed with Vietnamese culture to the extent of agitating rebellions, rather than the political realities of the han dynasty and their legalist policies.
@@annaaquitaine4225 Actually, compare this quote from Rabbi Hillel the Elder who died when Jesus was still a kid, and was active in Judea: "Do not do to others what you would not have done to you. This is the entire Law, the rest is commentary. Go and learn it!"
@@LangThoughts Jesus occasionally commented on Hillel/Shammai disputes, such as regarding divorce, but that's hardly "stealing" a quote. That'd be like saying Confucius "stole" content from earlier literature and tradition.
@@ReligionForBreakfast When will the third episode about Confucianism be completed? I hope to see it as soon as possible? I also hope that for the Confucianism video in the third episode, you can refer to Confucianism in Indonesia. Confucianism is one of the six official religions recognized by the Indonesian government. Confucianism in Hong Kong is also one of the six official religions recognized by the Hong Kong government and is stipulated in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. .
Thank you, and your patreons, happy to see an informative, scholarly series on Master Kong and what he started. Decades ago I married into a traditional Korean clan, the 閔 clan. They migrated from China, the 山東 peninsula, an easy hop across the Yellow Sea, around 700 or so CE, bringing, as you said Confucius with them. One of their ancestors was one of Master Kong's big 10 disciples, and the clan firmly believes we are direct descendants of that man. Sure, why not. So, yes, I am part of the clan, certainly I am Confucian, can't help but be - I am also Quaker, as is my wife - and that's okay, too. We shall follow this series with interest. By the way, the I Ching, the book of changes - I think predates Master Kong by some unknown time. It has a long history as a fortune-telling device, of course, but reading it, I was struck more by how it seems to be an attempt to describe the universe as the ancients saw it. That would make it an encyclopedia.
Thats right. each kingdom in the ancient korean peninsula has been always "dual structure" of ppl of ruling class (chinese) and general public (koreans). these dualistic organizations . All the ancient Korean kings 朝鮮王 of the past were Chinese officials. The queen was a Chinese nobleman. The members of the palace are all members of the Chinese nobles and the Han blood family 漢血家族(including various technical staff. Scholars, architects, monks, senior soldiers ...). They are all Chinese , Chinese language (Han dialect) , and Chinese characters. They have always been proud of the Chinese descent and the Han blood family 漢血家族. They call the ancient Korea 朝鮮 as part of China. These clearly recorded in a large number of letters written to the Chinese emperor and Chinese history . Only the "White clothes Ethnic白衣民族" (the ancestors of Koreans today) slaves and civilians speak Korean language. After the 15th century, Chinese officials (King of ancient Korean朝鮮王) invented a characters for indigenous and slave language - Korean characters. In order to better manage slave work. Korea is an independent country established in 1950 (the United States has power in military power). Korean language and Korean characters as the official language and characters are less than 70 years. The real history of the real today Korean people (White clothes Ethnic白衣民族) is only about 100 years. * Ancient Korea before 1910 = 朝鮮 (漢四郡. 高句麗.百濟.新羅. 高麗)(the name of the Chinese city). The official language : Chinese language (Han dialect) and Chinese characters. Korea after 1950 = 韓國 The official language : Korean language and Korean characters. ------------------------------------- More than 90% of the territory of the ancient Korean Peninsula 朝鮮半島 was Chinese territory. It was where the Chinese lived (a small number of them were local indigenous people who were slaves). Only the southernmost part of the peninsula was the "white-clothed ethnic 白衣民族" (ancestors of Koreans today)lived. Their language was Korean language. Until the Ming Dynasty emperor changed their name to "Chosun 朝鮮". During this period, the Korean peninsula was under unified administration. "white-clothed ethnic 白衣民族" (ancestors of Koreans today) joined as civilians and slaves in ancient Korean peninsula. They were governed by local Chinese officials and families. Only Chinese could use Chinese characters 漢字and live in Chinese palaces. And "white-clothed ethnic 白衣民族" (the ancestors of Koreans today) are forbidden to use and learn Chinese characters 漢字(except for a few mixed-race people and those who work in the palace). Therefore, during the Korean Peninsula War in history, the Chinese emperor would send troops to the Korean Peninsula to help fight against the invaders.
Yeah I've been waiting for this series to hit! I've long waited for a good, in-depth look at Confucianism and other related systems for a while, and this first episode does wonders to introduce people to the system itself. Great work! Hope to see more from this series and others!
儒 is basically pictogram of a person who is performing rainmaking ritual. Confucianists started out as master of ceremonies who performed burial, nuptial, rainmaking, etc service for hire. I would chraterize Confuscianism as a "Political Ideology" that started out as a folk religion which eventually lost most of spirituality and theology.
I was reading Cicero's "On Duties" (De Officiis) back in the winter and it struck me how close his ideas on how society should run were to the little I know about Confucianism. I doubt such ideas made it over the Silk Road to the Mediterranean world in the first Century BCE. Likely these are ideas that occur to smart people anywhere, anytime--hence their wide appeal
Cicero too lived in a time of competing warlords, while the institutions of the Roman Republic were crumbling. He valued "the concord of the orders" of society, something which may have come naturally to the head of a nuclear family near to but not at the top of the heap.
A child who obeys his parents is unlikely to foment a rebellion. So if I want my son to become a great reformer and overthrow capitalism, I should teach him to disrespect me. Got it! ♥
The civil service exams which required word-for-word memorization of the five Confucian classics and their use in constructing "eight-legged essays" kept clever middle class boys out of mischief for the best part of 2000 years. Many also wasted their best years on repeated attempts to get through. The concept was seized upon by the East India Company and applied by them in London for selecting the Indian Civil Service, and spread to the British Civil Service in the 19th century and from them to North and South America. I wonder if it also contributed to the national baccalaureate exams set up earlier under Napoleon?
While being American, Chinese history itself is absolutely fascinating, and the effect of the philosophy of Master Kong(Confucius), a tidal wave of force that went Through china and set itself up for millenia. So important were the teachings of Master Kong it's not hard to see his influence anywhere anymore, even here in America. I myself have realized, even before of learning even the basics of his teachings, most of his philosophy is very much something I follow.
@@EmilyS-gk3st I can only say that there is a huge difference and Confucianism can only produce hypocrites. I am very sad to see so many people interested in Confucian culture. As a Chinese, I tell you that Chinese history is a history of cannibalism. Chinese history has been the political system of the Qin Dynasty for two thousand years and has never developed. Confucianism is deeply hated in China.
When will the third episode about Confucianism be completed? I hope to see it as soon as possible? I also hope that for the Confucianism video in the third episode, you can refer to Confucianism in Indonesia. Confucianism is one of the six official religions recognized by the Indonesian government. Confucianism in Hong Kong is also one of the six official religions recognized by the Hong Kong government and is stipulated in the Basic Law of Hong Kong. .
I absolutely love ur content both quality and quantity... keep up the Good Work...can't wait 4 the future videos on this subject... thanks 4 ur research and hard work Peace be with you all...
I always like your condensed information rich style of presentation. Looking forward to the next episodes of the series, and more non european/abrahamic content. Just commenting to support the algorithm... :-D
@@Algiz-iz9bq Didn´t mean to make the conection. Just refering to the chanels content beeing mostly on abrahamic religions or religious movements in european society, or societys heavily influenced by europe. Beside this, Abrahamism is worldwide. Many religions drew from indeed jewish tradition, but today the discourse of abrahmic religions is way diverser and carries as much non-jewish aspects. Rabbinic judaism is an equal heir to this tradition as is christianity and Islam.
I like your interpretations of the religions and will continue learning. I have a question: where does the mother/son, sister/brother and daughter/father fit into the hierarchy of family?
Hey I was thinking it would be cool for you to make a video on the concept of Orphism or maybe the history of Dionysus and his connection to Zagreus and Orphic resurrection. It would be super cool!
Hey Andrew, have you heard of the Urantia Book? The book along with the community around it is extremely interesting, I've seen nothing like it. I feel a video on it will be very fun. I hope you enjoy researching stuff about it.
@ yes this some very suspicious covering up of its origin, and the 'coincidences' of the alignment of the teachings in the UB with Sadler's own beliefs. Still, writing a 2000 page tome is quite the feat, but I'm pretty sure the committee that oversaw the 'witnessing of the gradual revelation' by 'randomly finding pages in the patient's house' wrote the book. There's also to mention the twenty year timegap between its completion and its publication. Maybe a video on this could include the UB and other books like A Course In Miracles? The type of books that don't really profit off the reader, but are still 'new'?
@@kathryngeeslin9509 yes I do get an odd and somewhat dreadful feeling while reading. Something just feels 'wrong'. The Fourth Part is good historical fiction regarding Jesus, I really like that part. I wish that part was true. Honestly if I wanted to make a piece of art using exotic esoteric elements, I would use influences from the UB, as it's very unique and 'trippy'.
Dope topic. I would love if you provide a short list in the description for suggested reading/a place to start. I love and frequently rewatch the Shinto series and it prompted a lot of further study and curiosity and cant wait to sleep less and read more at the end of this one too lol
Finally a good,honest explanation of this subject. Thank you. I can see now why Maoists were so keen to destroy Confucianism. I can also see many parallels of times of birth of that philosophy and our times. I'll follow this series.
When it comes to the five classics, in addition to "book of changes" and "spring and autumn annals", I am more familiar with references to the "book of history" (what you call "document"?), the "book of poems" (what you call "odes"?) And "book of rites" (what you call ?). Just want to verify these are the same texts? And why you reference them differently that older references?
hmm. whether or not confucianism is a religion, to me, it seems to have a lot of the bells and whistles of a proper political ideology. in that sense, could it be considered one of the earliest political ideologies/philosophies based on 'higher ideals'?
Hm, even the "education" theme sounds a lot more like obedience than what many would consider education. It seems less like learning about the world, and more about learning where others think your place is in that world. You can definitely see those kind of impacts on modern Asian culture in my opinion.
Mohism is IMO a much more interesting school of thought. The book Mozi (well most of it) is available with English translation on ctext.org/mozi , it's a fascinating read.
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” ― Confucius. Obviously, Confucius was a bachelor, and never had a son. I think he was talking about the 'after-life'. In so doing, he erred...because, you can have more than one child...and his/her life doesn't begin, when yours ends...
Confucius did have several children. One was a son (Kong Li) the other was a daughter who he married to one of his favorite (but not his favorite, because his favorite was probably related to Confucius' mother) disciples. Hence why the family continues to thrive to this day.
Excellent video, just one small note. When you provide the transliterations for Chinese words, please provide the tones. You don't have to pronounce the words with the appropriate tone but it's nice to have the proper pinyin.
I love this, thank you for doing it! In the future, I think it would be great if you did something like this for each religious leader, it would be fascinating to learn about the historical Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, and Buddha (among others)
Thanks for making this video. However, I found there are many wrong infos here. 1. 孔夫子 is NOT his name, but 夫子 is an ancient way to call teacher. His name is 孔丘. 2. He lived BEFORE than Warring States Period. He lives in the Spring and Autumn Period. I didn't finish the video that I didn't find more. But pause to comment.
Confucianism is something I wish had spread past East Asia. It's not perfect, but some elements are desperately needed in places where corruption reigns.
"Let the ruler be a ruler, the father a father, etc." Sounds not unlike Hindu dharma, where every person (male) in society has a specific role to play and, as the Gita notes, better to do your own job poorly than someone else's job well. Do you think these Confucian and Hindu ideas match up, at least in part? Hinduism, of course, was referencing social roles in relation to caste duties. Can we say there was a sort of caste base to Chinese socity? (even if it was socially mobile, which, in fact, the early Hindu caste was also, apparently, more mobile than it later developed into.)
"Let the ruler be a ruler, the father a father" To understand the fundamentals of Confucianism and where it comes from this, one have to look at the culture and origin of the Zhou dynasty. 周公制禮作樂 "The duke of Zhou established rituals and a system to run the country" Think of Zhou Dynasty as the a proud, civilized people who are distinguish themselves from the barbarians based on their rituals and their system. Confucius is not just a teacher that brought education to average peasants, he is a master ritualist. So this phase "Let the ruler be a ruler etc", stemmed from how Zhou Dynasty was established. and how society ran by rituals is better. The phase itself servant/court official, Father play the part of the father, son play the part of the son" Everyone do their duties correctly, through respecting each other, thats how the society can run. Confucius even said 所謂大臣者 以道事君 不可則止 which translate to : If the ruler doesn't implement "Dao", stop serving him. Comparing it to the Hindu Caste system, the society structure was always mobile since Ancient China, probably due to the fact in the later stages a normal man without nobility become the emperor of Han dynasty, and in the earlier warring state period lots of elites escaped the lower class when their talents were used by kings. It is interesting to compare the caste system to this idea of Confucianism. Though, I think it differs in many ways and revolve around complete different aspects of life.
One of my favourite Confucius stories has to do with the invention of chopsticks. Supposedly, Confucius saw soldiers eating their food with the same knives they used in combat and thought it was abhorrent, to use an implement of killing as tableware. As an alternative, he instructed them to cut twigs from nearby trees and strip off the bark, and encouraged them to eat with those instead. I don't know if it's true or just legend, but I do like the story either way.
fun fact，Confucius name is kongzi but actually he will be called ziqiu or Zi zhongni in modern china.Zi Is his father’s last name Kong is his mothers last name, his kid name is qiu, his adult name is Zhongni.
16:12 I think you meant Korea and Vietnam. Japan wasn't a tributary state of China (well, technically Japan was a tribute only from 1404 to 1408 when Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu accepted the Chinese title of "the King of Japan" until his death)
Legalism wasn't simply a short-lived fad. Legalism transformed society, ending traditional feudalism and unifying China. The central disagreement between the 2 philosophies resolved around centralized power or local rule. Centralism won, establishing a single China. The "Confucianism" that became the established philosophy of the educated elite was different than the Confucianism that competed against the Legalists for popularity before the Legalists won. It accepted the Legalist emphasis on centralism.
It’d be interesting to analyze the “Chinese Rite”. I’m baffled by how it developed and was stopped due to Confucius’ understanding of the concept of God, not being compatible with Catholic Theology
@@khai96x In the video towards the end, the guy says Confucian schools were opened all over Japan that were open to *all* members of society. Exactly because confucianism isn't about equality or justice, and this is 16th century Japan, I'm surprised to hear that these schools were open to all members of society, which includes women since women are members of society. If these schools were not open to women, then they weren't open to all members of society, and phrasing it like that is misleading. That's why I would appreciate some clarification on this point by Religion for Breakfast.
In theory, yes. In practice, rarely. There are a large number of educated women in Chinese history that stood outside the norm but were considered well-read and well-educated. However, it cannot be denied that Confucius' flippant remarks regarding ladies did reverberate down through the ages in a terribly way. (He basically said they were hard to teach because if you get too close they start to become disobedient, but if you keep them too distant they become resentful.) Though some doubt the provenance of the quote since it is highly atypical.
Civil service exam did not exist till Sui dynasty. During Han dynasty, new officials are generally selected from students with good filial piety virtues as the term (举孝廉) by local officials.
@@zhuxinyugu2993 he didn't say they are related to the Zhou dynasty family but were connected to them in some official manner, like the family they sourced their scholars from.
@@ANTSEMUT1 He said Confucius' clan has ties to Zhou royal house. But Confucius' linage is very clear recorded. Confucius is from a branch of the royal house of Song state which is the descendent of Shang. His father escape to the neighboring state of Lu when Song is in a internal war and become a local official there. So Confucius did have some official manner connection with Lu but not Zhou central govt.
