In a paper consisting of five pages an overview of Confucianism is presented in an examination of its religious values, social philosophy and the differences that exist between other Chinese philosophies and Confucianism.
Name of Research Paper File: JL5_JLconfuc.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
in the way that Christ is considered divine in the Christian religion. Confucianism is not considered to have a great deal in common with the structure of other religions, in
the sense that it does not have a priesthood. It is, however, primarily concerned with the transmission of ethical and moral truths and guidelines, and with the way in which
these direct the social order. Confucius himself placed great stress on the importance of right behaviour and
the structuring of relationships. This could apply both to the relationships between individuals and those between individuals and the state, since it was essential that everything maintained its correct position
in the overall order of things. Confucianism also advocated benevolence in the treatment of others, whether they were above or below one in the social scale. In this way it
was possible to maintain a social order which, even though it was rigidly structured, would function successfully because of the focus on mutual benevolence and preserving the well-being of others.
The foundation of all Confucian thought and practice is based on the Analects of Confucius, a
collection of sayings which give a significant insight into Confucian thought and philosophy. The Book of Changes, for instance, is used for predicting the future. The divinations which it utilises
stress the cyclical patterns of the universe, which the Chinese saw exemplified in seasonal cycles. It was also felt that each ruling dynasty would devolve from perfection to degeneracy and
that this was, again, cyclical and part of the natural pattern of the universe.