SYNTHESIS ON CONFUCIUS

Philosophy for the Ancient Chinese as demonstrated by Confucius, is something which gives one an ideal of life.  This ideal of life is represented by the notions of immediate understanding of things in one's life, self-cultivation, a basis for action, as something that is lived, and as a way to enable man as himself.   He presented this in the way he perceives the philosophical problem, in the way he lays out the solution to the philosophical problem, in the way he characterizes the ideal human being, in the way he lays out the steps for self-cultivation, and in the way he specifies the solution to the philosophical problem.  

Firstly, we will discuss Philosophy in the way Confucius perceives the philosophical problem. He demonstrates Philosophy as the immediate understanding of things in one's life.  "Immediate understanding" meant being realistic, or having a simple conception of things.  In this simplistic way of looking at things, one can immediately relate it with his life.  He can relate it with his life because he can immediately grasp the idea or the situation which he is in.  When one gets the idea of a situation or anything in particular, it is rooted from the fact that it is related in his life.  And being able to deeply think about this relation is what made the method of Confucius’ thinking philosophical in nature.  It is philosophical in nature because it involves deep thinking about one’s life.  One cannot do the action of “relating” things when he does not deeply reflect about his own experiences in life. 

                                                                                                                                             

It is in this simplistic thinking that Confucius got the notion of the “philosophical problem”.  This “philosophical problem” is the disunity and disharmony that is present in one’s life and in the state that he lives in.  Confucius observes this problem in the issues of social disorder and the incorrect use of names.   In both of the issues, the problem of disunity and disharmony is observed in the lack of action in the part of the individual in relation to doing what is right and the lack of the sense of responsibility.  Disunity and disharmony are done in a sense that because of the inability to act morally and responsibly of the individual, his relations to his state worsened, for he does not act as a responsible citizen.  Because of this inability to act morally and responsibly, he failed to cultivate the values within him thus making his relationships with his family and his colleagues bad.  And because of these bad relations transactions, and other activities that were intended to ignite that communal sense to each one, fail to promote that unity which can make one complete his sense of conduct. 

The notion of Philosophy as the immediate understanding of things in one’s life is observed in the simplistic way that Confucius identifies the “philosophical problem” which is the disunity and disharmony present in one’s life and the observations of these in the issues of social disorder and incorrect use of names.  In the issues of social disorder and incorrect names, the problem of disunity and disharmony is observed in the inability to act morally and responsibly.  It displays disorder and disunity because of the bad relations of the individual with his state, his colleagues and his family.

Philosophy happens when one has a sense of “immediate understanding” of something based on one’s experiences.   This is because of the fact that to be able to immediately have a grasp about something, one usually needs to relate it with his life.  And in “relating”, it cannot be denied that one first thinks deeply about his experiences and his life in order to have that “immediate understanding”. 

The notion of the “ideal” of life given in this sense is a life of being able to know that one has a responsibility to do.  This can be done by thinking simply. It is “idea” in the sense that it is the “perfect” way of initiating an individual into the heart of responsibility.   This is the cultivation of himself into becoming a man of values who can resolve this problem by his  right deeds.

Secondly, we will discuss the notion of Philosophy as self-cultivation.  Confucius demonstrates this notion in the way he lays down the assumptions to the philosophical problem.  These assumptions are applications of self-cultivation in the sense of the socio-moral way, the sense of tradition, the sense of basic intelligence and goodness and the sense of the “chun tzu”.   All of these assumptions justify the premise of the Confucian philosophy.  This is because of the emphasis on the individual, in the terms of exhausting himself in learning.  He learns what is the ethical way of doing things by the sense of socio-moral way.  He learns how to appreciate these ethical ways by the sense of tradition.   He learns to think in an appropriate way in the sense of basic intelligence and goodness.  He learns the possible applications of these ethical and appropriate ways in the sense of the “chun tzu”.  In these assumptions, it can be observed that it gives focus on the individual doing the learning. 

The notion of Philosophy as self-cultivation is observed in the action of learning itself.  Learning can be seen as the next level after immediate understanding.  It being able to grasp things or situations, eventually the individual then proceeds to deeper reflection and thinking, which can be called as self-cultivation.  This is assumed to resolve the philosophical problem for it equips the individual in the necessary methods that he can do in order to achieve the goal of unity and harmony.  In deeply thinking about one’s life he is able to see new insights, and it is with these insights that he is able to fashion his moral character.   Self-cultivation involves deep reflective thinking in relation to one’s life.  It is in this notion which makes self-cultivation or learning, philosophical.   This is the self-cultivation that Confucius wishes to teach to each one of us, which he introduces in the concept of the Tao or the Way.  The learning that we know centers on knowledge, but the learning Confucius wishes us to follow is in accordance with the Tao, in which we can elevate our minds and realize what is ought to be done.  

The notion of the “ideal” of life given in this sense is a life that is committed to true learning.  This true learning is about elevating one’s mind, and not being stuck onto just being knowledgeable.  One must transcend from facts and figures, and move into developing moral values within himself.  It is in this way that one is able to become an effective noble man or “chun tzu”. 

Thirdly, let us discuss the notion of Philosophy as a basis for action.  This is demonstrated by Confucius in the way he characterizes the ideal human being.  The ideal human being possesses notable characteristics, such as filial piety, conscientiousness, brotherly respect, propriety, goodness, righteousness, and wisdom.    It demonstrates Philosophy as a basis for action in the principle of reference, which is depicted in reflective thinking and “oughtness”.   

The characteristics of the ideal human being involve reflective thinking.  Before an individual assumes goodness, he must think deeply of his actions if it is inclined to this “goodness.”  This principle is the same for filial piety, brotherly respect, and all the other characteristics of the ideal human being.   In this sense deep thinking becomes the basis before one does his actions.  He makes this deep thinking about himself, about what he had done so far, as a reference point or foundation for his actions.

On the other hand, the characteristics of the ideal human being involve “oughtness” in the sense that all of these values are done by the individual because it is what is “proper” and “moral”.  The principle of reference is observed in the notion of “oughtness” in validating one’s action in terms of morality. 

The notion of Philosophy as a basis for action is observed in the principle of reference in reflective thinking and “oughtness”, which the characteristics of the ideal human being have in common.  The characteristics of filial piety, conscientiousness, brotherly respect, propriety, goodness, righteousness, and wisdom all justify the notion of Philosophy as a basis for action in the principle of reference.  This is observed in the common ideas of reflective thinking and “oughtness” that can be seen from the characteristics of the ideal human being.   In thinking deeply, one returns to what he had thought in relation to all that happened in his life.   In “oughtness”, one validates his actions by returning to the thought of morality.  These two show the characteristics of being basis or foundation for action.   Deep thinking and evaluation were used as foundations for action.   This is why it depicts the principle of reference, for it is in this that one always refers to something before one does an action.  What makes it philosophical is that it always involves deep thinking relative to one’s life.   

The notion of the “ideal” of life given is a life which has a solid reference to morality.  It is this solid reference that can guide the individual into his self-cultivation and make his learning more effective and meaningful in strengthening these values within him. 

Fourthly, we will discuss Philosophy as something that is lived.  This is seen in how Confucius lays down the steps for self-cultivation.  

Philosophy for the Ancient Chinese, as depicted by Confucius, is something that is lived.  This is depicted in the way Confucius lays out the steps for self-cultivation.   This self-cultivation is aimed at being a “chun tzu” or a “noble man”.    Before we go over the answer presented above, let us first clarify how the term “philosophy” is to be understood in the Chinese civilization. 

“Philosophy” has varied definitions and descriptions, depending on the country or on the school of thought which uses it.   However, the Chinese people have a definite concept of Philosophy.   In Fung Yu-Lan’s book, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, he describes “philosophy” in the Chinese civilization as “a type of reflective and systematic thinking” ¹.  

What Yu-Lan is trying to say in the description that he gave, was that Philosophy is reflective because its essence is about knowing and understanding basic life experiences, knowing realities, and establishing wisdom out of such.   It is systematic, because it involves certain processes about one’s experiences in life that helps him to establish knowledge and wisdom.   These processes begin in one’s recognition of facts, connecting the facts to the realities in society, and connecting them to one’s personal vision, aims, and realities.   Moreover, these processes show that every reality or experience always has wisdom in it.  This wisdom is yet for one’s discovery as he goes along in life.  This then leads him to the elevation of the mind rather than simply recognizing facts and information.    It is in this that one gets to cultivate himself into a person with values.

Every experience or every reality has a message.  The need to discover its message and to take this message into the depth of one’s life, are the core purposes of philosophy.   This means that philosophy, in this sense, assists one to become a noble man.   The steps on being a noble man are extending one’s knowledge, rectifying one’s mind, investigating the knowledge or the things around one’s environment, and finally making the will sincere.   These four steps depict philosophy as something that is lived, thus experienced, in the principle of action and deep reflection that is implicit in the said steps. 

In extending one’s knowledge, one needs to utilize all that he had learned by the means of practice.  In rectifying one’s mind, one needs to take a step back and examine his way of thinking things through.  In investigating the knowledge or things around one’s environment, one needs to cross-examine the ideas and find meanings in them.   In making the will sincere, one needs to evaluate his intentions in order to actualize it.

 Based in all of these, it can be said that the common concept between these is the principle of action.  In order to experience something, one must “initiate” it.   One must take the first step to understand and actualize ideas, principles, or concepts.   This is the same for the steps to cultivate one’s own self.  One cannot perform a step without acting it out.   Once cannot “learn” a step unless he “acts” the step.   One cannot extend one’s knowledge without “acting” the action of extending it.  One cannot make the will sincere without “acting” the action of making it sincere.   It is in action that one is able to experience something new and worthy.

Another common concept among these is the principle of deep reflection.   Before doing anything, one must engage in deep reflection.  This is implicit in the steps to self-cultivation.    As one “acts” the action of extending his knowledge, making his will sincere, rectifying his mind, and investigating things, he also involves himself in deep thinking.   One cannot cultivate himself properly without having a moment to gather all that he had learned in the steps and deeply think about their effect and significance in his way of living.   It is in the deep reflection of things that one is able to appropriate the learning he had gained and the improvements that he did in the course of cultivating himself.    In this sense the individual fuses the learning with himself.    All the ideals he has are not suspended in the corners of his mind.  They are embedded in the way he lives these ideals.   It is in reflection that one is able to involve his thoughts, ideals, and notions to life.   Reflection deepens thoughts and sharpens actions.

Every message of an experience or reality has hidden meanings and principles.   When one discovers the meanings of the message and its principles, he becomes a man of knowledge.    But when one applies the meanings of the message and its principles in his life, he becomes a man of wisdom, a noble man, a “chun tzu.”

The steps provided by Confucius to cultivate the self recognizes philosophy as something that is lived.  It emphasizes that reflection and action are significant in the process of self-cultivation.   Philosophy engages the individual to think deeply about his life.   It is this direct involvement in life which makes the steps philosophical in nature.     It is a gradual learning and relearning.   It is not simply done in a random fashion.   It is life and being transformed by experiences and realities.    Moreover, the steps justify the notion of experience in the sense of action itself.   Experiences are life’s inputs that should sharpen one’s understanding of self, his relation with others, his aim for happiness and his relation to values.   Philosophy helps one to realize that the meaning of life is truly the practice of knowledge and wisdom discovered from one’s daily experiences and realities.  

Doing the steps of self-cultivation implies the notion of Philosophy as something lived.  This is because as one cultivates himself, he involves all that he had learned, whether factual or ethical, in his life.  He does this by reflecting deeply with all the episodes in his life and acting accordingly to the lessons he had realized in the process.   For Confucius, philosophy is something that is lived.  It is lived because all of us have a share of that labor in thinking deeply and acting out our learning.   Philosophy is something that is lived because the one involved is the thinker himself.

The notion of the “ideal” of life given is a life that is the actualization of one’s learning in cultivating himself along the way.  This is what makes one’s solid reference and one’s learning to be exhausted to its fullest potential.  

Lastly, we will discuss Philosophy as a way to actualize man as himself.  This is seen in the way Confucius specifies the solution to the philosophical problem, which is achieving social harmony.  This notion is observable in the concept of the “chun tzu” as the way to achieve social harmony, which can be seen in the dealings of the “chun tzu” outside of his self, which is his family and his state.  This is depicted in the notions of the family as the basic social unit, the state as big family, the regulation of virtue instead of force, and the “chun tzu” as Philosopher-King.   The “chun tzu” becomes himself as himself in these dealings in the principle of habit.   

The “chun tzu” becomes by his reflective thinking of his life in the principle of habit that he develops in his constant dealings with the responsibility he has with his family and in the state.  In always practicing the good attitudes towards his family and the state, these attitudes became his second nature.   It became so natural that a conscious guide is not needed anymore.    It became so natural that even though he did what he desired, it is not far from the objective of goodness. It became one with his being.   The notion of Philosophy as a way to enable man as himself is observed in the display of man’s “enabling” of his inherent nature, which is his goodness.  He “enables” this nature in the very action of deeply thinking about the ways in which he can preserve the values he learned and the relationships he has starting from his family towards his state. 

The notion of the “ideal” of life given is a life fulfilled in morals.  It fulfills one’s life for it makes harmony and unity able to be present in one’s life.  It fulfills life for it makes one embrace his true nature, which is, goodness.     

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The Ancient Chinese has a different way of approaching “philosophy” compared to the West.  It concerns the present life that one has, and all the relations he has with others and with his community.  It does not concern itself what is beyond these ideas.  “Philosophy” for the Ancient Chinese is the deep reflection about one’s life.   It is the involvement of one’s life in thinking.   This reflection, however, is done systematically and not in a random fashion.   The goal of such unique thinking is not for the attainment of knowledge, but rather it is for the elevation of the mind.  It is for nurturing ethical values within oneself.  It is transcending material desires and selfishness and become one of right actions.  It does not solely focus on what the individual thinks about a situation, but rather, what the individual can do about the situation after thinking about it.   What he will become out of how he acts on a situation is also a critical measure of one’s sense of right and moral.

Confucius presents these unique characteristics of Chinese Philosophy as reflective thinking about one’s life with the unique objectives of nurturing the practice of values in his way of perceiving the philosophical problem, in his way of laying down the assumptions of the solution to the philosophical problem, in his way of characterizing the ideal human being, in his way of laying out the steps for self-cultivation and in his way of specifying the solution to the philosophical problem. 

He presents these unique characteristics and objectives of Ancient Chinese Philosophy in demonstrating the notions of Philosophy as the immediate understanding of things, self-cultivation, basis for action, something that is lived, and a way to enable man as “man” as ideas in presenting what is Philosophy for the Ancient Chinese.   

All of these notions point out the characteristic of reflective thinking as he gets to see the philosophical problem manifested in disunity and disharmony in one’s life and in everything around him.  It points out reflective thinking in the sense that the individual always involves his life in everything.   All of the notions give the implication of the involvement of the individual’s life in the problems that he points out and the solutions that he sees in relation to the problems.   In deep thinking one can immediately grasp the problem for he relates it with his life.  After immediately grasping, he learns about it  and finds opportunities to grow in them.  In actualizing what he had learned, he uses his own capabilities without any undue effort, for his learning became so infused in him that it became his second nature.    All of these have an essence of reflective thinking within them.  This is because in understanding a problem and in finding a solution, thinking about their effects on one’s life is indispensable.

The objective of nurturing values and practicing these values are observed in the inner capacity of the individual to solve the problem of disunity and disharmony.  The objective is observed in the very sense of the concept of “chun tzu” that is believed by Confucius to be the effective way in attaining social harmony.   It can be seen in the notions of Philosophy as the immediate understanding of things, self-cultivation, basis for action, something that is lived, and a way to enable man as “man” through the practice of values.  This is seen in the focus on the individual perfecting his character on every step that he does in becoming a noble man and in every action that he makes to preserve the goodness that is inherent in him. 

The idea of Philosophy which Confucius wishes to show to resolve the philosophical problem of disunity and disharmony is that Philosophy gives us an “ideal” of life. This ideal can lead one to become a “chun tzu.”  This “ideal” of life is the continuous involvement of one in his relationships with his family and in the state propelled by the depth of understanding that he acquired in his self-cultivation.  This tries to point out that reflecting deeply about one’s life and realizing virtue must not make an individual resort to detaching himself from his daily affairs with his family and the state.   Rather, it must make him more active and more inclined to keep the harmony within these relationships using the learning that he got from the daily challenges of life.  

 Confucius wants to point out that Philosophy is life itself anchored in the daily realities of person.   He wants to point out that Philosophy is not just simple academic interaction but a practical way to realize one’s essence.  He wants to point out that knowledge is real when the individual incorporates it in his present life and utilizes himself in preserving the values learned.   Philosophy gives us an “ideal” of life, for it shows what is ought to be done in what one has learned or known.  It gives us an “ideal” of life because it helps one realize the ultimate objective or goal in life.  The said goal is living an ethical life through the perfection of character cultivated by one’s reflective thinking and sharpened by one’s wisdom out of life experiences.  

The “ideal” of life through Philosophy never changes, even if the nature of the relations of the people and the state changes.   Circumstances may affect these relationships, but the “ideal” remains the same.  Its objectives and thoughts remain constant.  It is a fact that the teachings of Confucius were rooted from his history of living in the time of the Warring States, but it doesn’t mean that his teachings are obsolete in the present times.   It must be noted that “ideals” are independent of time and circumstance.   Therefore, it is a mistake if one judges the significance of it in terms of the two.  Learning is realized by contexts of one’s experiences at hand.

The Confucian thoughts encompass both ancient and modern times, the “ideal” of life given by Philosophy never changes even in the life of a Philosophy student.   The notion of practicing what one knows can be observed in the everyday practices of the student in written tests, in graded recitations, and in weekly papers.  The notion of the perfection of character is seen in the expectations given by the professors in every assignment or exam that they give to the student.   The notion of reflective thinking is manifested in the everyday class discussions made in each subject.  All of these ordinary routines in student life imply the notion of the “ideal” being as consistent as it was back in the ancient times of Confucius.  In the simple actions of not overdoing the act of reasoning or being “pilosopo” to avoid rudeness to anyone in campus or at home is enough to justify the “ideal” of life that Confucius wishes to show in his demonstration of Philosophy for the Ancient Chinese. 

 

Taking this more to a general context, this realization must be deepened as one live his life and realizes this in his being a student, a social being and a member of a family.   This realization however, must not be treated simply as a conclusion in a mental puzzle that Confucius laid out in giving the notion of the philosophical problem of disunity and disharmony.  This must be used as a reminder to one to be actively involved in the real world and grow fully as a person.  This realization must be treated as a wake-up call to one to make a difference.   He must use this as a reminder that the “ideal” remains as it is amidst the problems in the household, work, or in school.   He must use this as a reminder to check if what he has known and learned has transformed him into a person of values.  It must deepen his understanding of relationships in the family, among his friends and in the community.  This realization must be treated as a beginning in the long journey towards enriching one’s inherent goodness within him.   

Philosophy is realized in the big and small challenges one encounters every day.   There is no great learning in the memorized texts in Chinese philosophy or in other subjects unless these texts have moved a Philosophy student to learn how to become patient when doing an assignment or research project.  Or if such has tested his creativity in preparing a power point presentation or if he becomes more sincere in accepting low grades because of lack of efforts.  When a student helps a classmate who is in trouble understanding his lessons or when a student continues to hope and exert more efforts in a subject he considered to be his “waterloo,” the teachings of Confucius are alive.  Whatever articles, lessons, discussions in the class will not be worthy if they do not move the heart of a student.  If the student is not affected in the process, then all of such things are just simply notes and words without meanings. If they do not touch one’s thoughts and they do not challenge one’s creativity, then, these sort of discussions, articles and lessons are nothing.  They are like trashes for disposal.  

The teachings of Confucius are ancient but if a philosophy student finds new in them and he uses such to tame his character, then, he learns and becomes a good philosophy student.    In short, the essential measure of   what Confucius teaches about philosophy and everything concerning life and morality is the person being transformed by learning from ordinary life experiences.  And from this transformation, he multiplies values by influencing others to practice the same.  In this way, he becomes an instrument of unity and harmony in society.  Learning should solve problems of humanity and not create them. Students learn in order to live good life and earn happiness. They study in order to learn basic values of right living. In the context of Confucian philosophy, learning through philosophy is a transformation from selfishness to humaneness.   It is a solution to problems of social disharmony and disunity and a practical path to self-fulfillment and moral living.

Source:

  1.       Fung Yu-Lan, “The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy”, (New York: The Free Press, 1948), In A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, 2.