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    Adaptability of Contemporary Confucianism

    Number of Pages: 5

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    In five pages this report examines the contemporary applicability of Confucius' concepts. Five sources are cited in the bibliography.

    Name of Research Paper File: D0_BWconfu.rtf

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    that Confucius did not put into writing the principles of his philosophy. Instead, they were handed down only through his disciples. The Lun Y? ("Analects"), a work compiled by some  of his disciples, is considered the most reliable source of information about his life and teachings. According to Wu-Chi Liu (1994), one of the historical works that he is said  to have compiled and edited, the Chun Chiu ("Spring and Autumn Annals"), is an almost clerk-like account of Chinese history (pp. 4). In terms of his reverence for learning and  self awareness, he wished to be known as a transmitter of ideas, history, and wisdom, rather than as a creator. As a result, he worked to revive the study of  ancient books and the knowledge they offered (pp. 4). Wu-Chi Liu explains that Confuciuss own teachings, together with those of his primary disciples, are found in the Shih  Shu ("Four Books") of Confucian literature, which ultimately became the textbook for Confucian wisdom for later generations of Chinese scholars (pp. 4). Ever-Changing Ideology For those critics who see  the work and teaching of Confucius as overly constraining or static, it seems that they may be addressing its interpretation rather than its actual philosophical premises. At the core of  his thinking is the fact that the foundation of human nature is the idea of jen. "Jen" refers to the ideal relationship between any two human beings. One who  practices jen will treat people gently and humanely, and, as a result, everything will go well for him in return. Confucius believed that, at birth, the mind of a  human being is a blank slate, what in the West came to be thought of as the tabula rasa. At birth, an individual is first influenced by their surroundings 

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