Abstract The paper examines the Confucian view of the family and considers what aspects of it are appropriate for modern (American) life and what aspects are not appropriate for Western society. The writer argues that it appears most likely that the rigidly patriarchal nature of the Confucian family cannot stand up to modern sensibilities. The paper concludes that even though the societies have conflicting ideologies, the Confucian emphasis on respect is a healthy addition to any household.
From the Paper "The Confucian view of the family is one that has been increasingly challenged in recent years as the East and West draw closer together. The following brief paper will examine Confucian philosophy as it pertains to the family and suggest certain aspects of it that might hold promise for American families as well as certain aspects of it that American families should not seek to emulate. As will soon become apparent, Confucianism is a complicated matter when it is applied to the most important social unit of all. To begin with, Confucianism believes very strongly that the relationship between children and their parents is a rigidly hierarchical one: parents are to give the orders and children are expected to unquestioningly obey."
Abstract Confucianism, the dominant worldview in Imperial China, placed tremendous value on social order and hierarchical relationships. It envisaged an order society with the Emperor at the top and his authority expressed through a Confucian bureaucracy administering Confucian laws. The realities of daily life contradicted this model. Periodic rebellions, banditry, human avarice and a host of other factors undermined the Confucian ideals. This paper examines a variety of primary sources to identify countercurrents to the dominant Confucianideology in Imperial China.
Abstract This paper examines Japan's remarkable economic success during the post World War II period, tying this in with the influence of Confucianism. The writer discusses that the basis of every company is the morale of the employees and that Confucianism in Japan promotes ideals such as industriousness and a strong work ethic, because of its emphasis on harmony and obligations. By examining work ethics at a micro-level the writer describes that one can perceive a clearer picture of why Japan succeeded to transform its economy.
From the Paper "As Japan arose like a phoenix from the ashes after the destruction of World War II, great strides were taken to transform its economy. In contemporary society, it is a given that Japan is a global economic power. This was not always so. The remarkable transformation of the Japanese economy after World War II, was largely influenced by Confucianism an ideology that has had a long history in Japanese society and culture. This paper argues ... "
Tags:confucianism, japan's post wwi economy, east asian ideologies
Abstract The paper interprets a dialogue between a Confucian and a Christian. It then goes on to discuss the differences between the religions of Confucianism, Christianity and Buddhism - their history and practice. The author ends with a personal comment about his relationship and feelings toward to the religions he discusses in his paper.
From the Paper "Some Western scholars have delineated the fundamental difference between Christianity and Confucianism in that "Confucianism is very much a religion for the purposes of the Chinese," in other words located in the Chinese sense of social order. (Hoad, 2005) However, Christianity began as a nationalistic tradition, a splinter radical group that broke away from the Pharisees and Sadducees of Israel. Christ's reference to the commandments would make no sense to an audience unfamiliar with the religious tradition of Israel. Also, although Christianity may now exist as a theistic rather than a humanistic religion like Confucianism, that is a religion focused on the relationship between God and humans, rather than human interrelationships, Christ explicitly sets out a code of conduct for individuals to obey, and an ideal to uphold in terms of personal piety that is in relation to others as well as to the Father."
Abstract The paper looks at China today and examines what kind of ideology will best suit Chinese leaders and citizens in a system of transition on the road to some form of globally integrated and pluralistic system. The essay argues that Confucianism and democracy are the best option. The paper explains that the first is traditional in the Chinese society and the second could help solve many of the country's problems.
From the Paper "Since the early 1980s China saw a unique transformation from an isolated rural country to urbanized, stable and quite open country. This turn in the Chinese economy and politics started soon after Mao's death and Deng Xiaoping's return to power. Deng, assisted by the survivors of the Long March, started the big reformation of the Chinese system. This reform era began with a shift in the political climate. Deng and other reformists wanted to move the policy of the Chinese Communist Party from ideological to pragmatic. The country was devastated by Mao's Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward as well as by Mao's totalitarian regime."
Abstract This seven page paper examines whether Confucian ethics are applicable in the modern world. The paper describes Confucian ethics in terms of moral philosophy and moral education and suggests that it can still be inspiring today. The paper describes the teaching of Confucius as simple moral and political principles, such as love for others, honoring one's parents, doing what is right instead of what is personally advantageous, practicing ethical reciprocity, and ruling by moral example instead of through force or violence.
From the Paper "Confucian Ethics: An Analysis of Modern Relevance In terms of moral philosophy and moral education, Confucian ethics of virtue can still be inspiring today, for Confucius identified timeless principles that are as relevant now as they have ever been. Confucius taught simple moral and political principles, such as love for others, honoring one's parents, doing what is right instead of what is personally advantageous, practicing ethical reciprocity, and ruling by moral example instead of through force or violence. Confucius identified Six Relationships which he considered to be the proper basis of all social connections between people. "
Abstract This paper presents a study of Confucian influence on Korean history, especially during the Choson period. The paper pays especial reference to the tributary relationship between Korea and China from the earliest period through the modern era. The study examines the Choson Kingdom's claim to be the "purest" Confucian state versus the reality of the application of the religion to the Korean body politic.
From the Paper "The Choson Kingdom (AD 1392-1910) once considered itself the last 'true Confucian' state, even though the kingdom embodied several traits that would indicate otherwise. Confucianism, after all, had been developed in China--not Korea--by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his disciples. Since Confucianism's rise during the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220), the Chinese state has always practiced it to some degree, whether in peace or wartime, and even when conquered and ruled by the non-Chinese Mongol Empire during the Age of Disunion."
Abstract This paper examines Confucianism by explaining its rituals that show people how to live their lives and interact with others. The paper discusses in detail some of the cults, for example, Cult of Heaven, state cults, ancestor cults, and family rituals.
From the Paper "Ritual played an integral role in Confucianism, and was important in the teachings of Confucius himself. This importance was also shown by his disciples, who taught these rituals themselves after the time of Confucius. Because of this, Confucianism became known as a "ritual religion", emphasizing both doctrinal and ritual rites within family and society. Confucius made sure that people understood the proper way to go about viewing and practicing rituals, as well as how a leader should act. Some of the rituals are the Cult of Heaven, various State Cults, the Ancestor Cult, and Family Rituals; they include ideas relating to how to act properly and how to relate to each other."
Abstract This essay discusses Confucianism and how it is a philosophical system that is based on the teachings of Confucius. It has been practiced throughout China for nearly 2,000 years.
Abstract This paper integrates several Civil War topics, including the power dynamics of oligarchies in the antebellum South, the authorship and diffusion of pro-slavery ideology, the development and implications of the plantation slavery economy, and an analysis of different explanations for the collapse of the Confederacy, into the thesis that the South's lack of pragmatism and adaptability brought about its defeat. The writer dissects the discourse of James Henry Hammond and John C. Calhoun and presents pro-slavery ideology as a fundamentally conservative reaction to early capitalism that diffused from a planter elite to the Southern masses through the conflation of the Southern identity with the institution of slavery. The industrial and technological stagnation, aristocratic trends, and dependent nature of the Southern economy are weighed as cogent factors in the failure of Confederate resources. The writer explains, using cognitive dissonance theory, how the conflicting elements of Confederate nationalism, such as scriptural fundamentalism, states' rights theory, and pro-slavery discourse, failed to successfully coexist with the reality of slavery and led to problems with strategy, conscription, enlistment, and solidarity.
Paper Outline
I. Introduction
II. Reactionary, Principled Ideology III. Socioeconomic Maladjustment
IV. Confederate Defeat by Tradition and Ideology V. Conclusion
From the Paper "James Henry Hammond, editor of The Southern Times, defended the right to property through scriptural fundamentalism and carried slavery above human criticism by declaring it a biblically sanctioned institution. In order to justify chattel slavery's presuppositions of vindicated human property, proslavery ideology needed to incorporate the priority of slaveholders? right to property over slaves? right to liberty. Hammond provided this by asserting that man's right to "property in man" had been "consecrated" by the Bible. Suggesting a similitude between abolitionism and anti-property radicalism, as did many reactionary Southerners, Hammond anticipated that, after defeating slavery, the property-threatening ideology of antislavery would challenge the capital of the North."
Abstract The paper presents the question of what ideology will best suit China's leaders and citizens in a system in transition that will facilitate China's development in a stable manner. The paper explains that this is a complex question given that the ideology that may best suit China's leaders is not necessarily the same as the one that will best suit its people. This essay thus attempts to answer the question by describing what would be the best ideology for China for the immediate future and the probable ideology given China's current history.
Abstract The paradox of the concept "ideology" is that it is, at one and the same time, both valueless as a descriptive term and of essential importance to any discussion of politics. This essay will explore this paradoxical aspect of the concept of "ideology" in order to illustrate how the concept functions in political and cultural analysis in a modern context.
Abstract The paper contends that Karl Marx was one of the most innovative and original thinkers who has ever lived and that it certainly shows in this book. The paper describes how Marx sets out to critique German ideology and along with this, German thinkers. The paper depicts how Marx castigates German ideology most severely, essentially accusing it of being divorced from reality.
From the Paper "Karl Marx was one of the most innovative and original thinkers who has ever lived and it certainly shows in this book. Marx sets out to critique German ideology and along with this, German thinkers. He castigates German ideology most severely, essentially accusing it of being divorced from reality. In the course of this critique, he puts forward his own, materialist philosophy of the world. He contrasts his own ideas (which he assumes are entirely correct) with the German ideas (which he assumes are entirely erroneous)."
Abstract This paper explains that Richard Lewontin in his book "Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA" presents a view of science that challenges the popular conception of science as a methodical quest for objective knowledge, which exists outside of the political and social structures of human society. The author points out that the book, which is based on Lewontin's lectures for the 1990 Massey Lectures, focuses on Lewontin's area of scientific specialty biology with a particular emphasis on genetics. The paper relates that the book's component chapters each address and subvert popular myths of science that, for many people, render its practices and practitioners beyond the realm of social and political thought.
From the Paper "Richard Lewontin, in his book Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA, presents a view of science that challenges the popular conception of science as an methodical quest for objective knowledge that exists outside of the political and social structures of human society. This book, based on Lewontin's lectures for the 1990 Massey Lectures, focuses on Lewontin's area of scientific specialty: biology, with a particular emphasis on genetics. The book's component chapters each address, and subvert, popular myths of science that - for many people - render its practices and practitioners beyond the realm of social and political thought."
