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.
