The life, times, and thoughts of one of the world's most famous philosophers
Famous Philosophers
Early Life
Kong Fuzi (Master Kong) was born in 551 BCE in the city of Qufu in the Chinese State of LU, which is Shandong Province today. There is little recorded evidence of this famous philosopher's life, and scholars base their knowledge mostly on the The Analects which is a collection of anecdotal sayings and dialogues collected by the disciples of Confucius. This famous thinker and social philosopher was conceived out of wedlock and according to ancient records from four hundred years after his birth, his father was 70 years old at the time of his birth and his mother only 15.
Although Confucius's lineage was noble, the family was poor. At the age of three, Confucius's father died and his mother raised him. Confucius held administrative jobs as a young man, rising to the position of Justice Minister. Confucius resigned after a few years, unhappy with the tyranny and lack of morality in statecraft. At about age 50, Confucius withdrew from politics and embarked on a twelve -year journey around China seeking the "Way." Returning home, he spent the last years of his life teaching and trying to transmit the old wisdom through a set of books called The Five Classics .
Teachings and Ethics
Confucius is considered the Greatest Master because of his emphasis on study. He urged his disciples to think for themselves by learning from the outside world through scripture relating to past political events and the feelings of the common people as revealed in The Annals and The Book of Odes. Confucius's goal was to restore the "Mandate of Heaven" and bring peace and prosperity to the people of China. Considered conservative in thinking, Confucius used past institutions and mores to push forth his own agenda. Confucius believed ruling should be a matter of merit and not birth and that the ruler should be in a "perfected state" in order to spread true virtue to the subjects of the kingdom. His theory of ethics refers to three aspects of life: sacrificing to the gods, social and political institutions and daily behavior. Confucius's political thought flows from his ethics and fosters the belief that the best government rules through rites and people's natural morality and not bribery or force.
Death
This famous philosopher, who so greatly influenced Oriental thought, died in 479 BCE. All of his doctrines are embodied in Confucianism.
