The Ethics of Confucius

A collection of Confucius’ ethical writings on topics such as the superior man, self-development, human relations, the family, the state, the cultivation of the fine arts, and religion.

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Citation

The Ethics of Confucius. The Sayings of the Master and his Disciples upon the Conduct of “The Superior Man”, arranged according to the plan of Confucius with running commentary by Miles Menander Dawson, with a foreword by Wu Ting Fang (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1915).

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Confucius (Author)

Confucius is the latinized form of Kong Fu Tzu, who lived 551-479 BCE, a period of violence and political turmoil. His work, tremendously important for subsequent Chinese history, sought to establish the foundations for a stable and just social and political order.
Mencius (Author)

Frequently called the “Second Sage” of Confucianism, he expanded on Confucius’ work. Basing his philosophy on the premise that human nature is basically good, he stressed the importance of ethics and virtue.
Mo Tzu (Author)

A rival of the Confucianists, whose work was later singled out by Mencius for particular attack, founded a philosophy known as Mohism that stressed universal love and egalitarianism.

Key Quotes

Philosophy

Prudence: “The superior man wishes to be slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.” (Analects, bk. iv., c. xxiv.) (FROM: CHAPTER I: WHAT CONSTITUTES THE SUPERIOR MAN) - Confucius

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Critical Responses

Essay

The Promise of Confucian Liberty

James Dominic Rooney

Law & Liberty

The author argues that Confucian philosophy need not lead to statist authoritarianism. The piece includes a good historical overview of the development of Confucian thought.

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Connected Readings

Book

The Analects

Confucius

One of the central texts of Confucianism, it consists mainly of sayings attributed by Confucius and compiled by his disciples.

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Book

The Shi King, the Old “Poetry Classic” of the Chinese

Confucius

Shi King, also rendered in English as the Shih Ching and Shijing, it is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry, and one of the “Five Classics” said to have been compiled by Confucius.

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