I've had a few people ask me to post the paper i just submitted to a course i'm taking. Here ya go! Enjoy (or not!)
HUMANENESS
The Core of Confucianism and
Shared with The Three Primary Western Religions
radar pangaean
CST 232
Summer 2011
Humaneness (ren) is the core concept in Confucian philosophy. I believe that its central role in his teachings is the primary reason that they have stood the test of time. The other concepts which are explicitly identified and discussed in detail within The Analects of Confucius, i.e. filial devotion (xiao), observance of etiquette and rites (li), learning (xue), and moral force (de) are explicitly or implicitly linked to ren in multiple passages. His teachings on each of these individual subjects will be more or less applicable to the lives of the modern reader, depending upon their status, relationships, and role(s) in life. Confucius believed that the practice of these latter traits would improve the practitioner, and lead him to become a ‘noble person’, one who had internalized ren. Though the followers of other philosophies may disagree with the relative importance of practicing these traits, the three major Western religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all stress the value of his core virtue, humaneness, though they have alternate terms to describe the same basic concept. In Judaism much of the Torah specifies the requirement to treat ‘the stranger’ with honesty and compassion. Christians are taught that of that faith’s three noble virtues, the greatest is ‘love/charity’. For Moslems, charitable, compassionate giving to the poor (zakat) is considered one of the five equally important pillars of their faith. For many westerners who do not practice any of these religions, humaneness is also a core concept of their personal ethics.
What is humaneness? Confucius provided over 100 passages regarding it. No other concept received this level of attention in his works. The simplest description he provided is ‘12:22: ... about humaneness. The Master said, "It is loving people."’ (1)
However, Confucius would also attempt to described a concept for his students more fully by specifying the behaviors that it would engender in those who possess it:
‘6:28: Zigong said, "What would you say of someone who broadly benefited the people and was able to help everyone? Could he be called humane?" The Master said, "How would this be a matter of humaneness? Surely he would have to be a sage? Even Yao and Shun were concerned about such things. As for humaneness - you want to establish yourself, then help others to establish themselves. You want to develop yourself, then help others to develop themselves. Being able to recognize oneself in others, one is on the way to being humane."’ (2)
In the above passage, Confucius sought to convey the concept that one best cultivates humaneness in oneself by assisting others to cultivate it within themselves. As well as the unselfishness which this requires, the act of putting the cultivation of positive traits within others as important as doing so for oneself improves one’s ability to empathize and identify with others.
Most modern readers are familiar with the ‘Golden/Reciprocity Rule’, often expressed as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Confucius expressed a similar though subtly different concept, focusing instead on what to avoid in one’s interactions: ‘15:23: Zugong asked, "Is there one word that one can act upon throughout the course of one’s life?" The Master said, "Reciprocity (shu) - what you would not want for yourself, do not do to others."’ (3)
This variant of the concept is called the Silver Rule, but ultimately the ethical directive it states will lead to the same basic behavioral rules. Variations on this theme can be found in almost every culture’s ethical teachings. Customs and beliefs vary between cultures and times, but an inspection of the basic behavioral rules, if not the doctrines behind them, of all of the primary eastern and western religious practices shows a distinct overlap in the required and forbidden practices they espouse. Lying, stealing, murder, etc., i.e. the things which lead to social disorder, are generally prohibited, whereas compassion, charity, unselfishness - i.e. humaneness - are explicitly encouraged.
Humaneness is a core concept of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Multiple scriptures from each of these religions exhort their followers to eschew seeking revenge or retribution for wrongs, but they also support a requirement that humaneness not be exploited at the loss of justice. A parallel concept is stated explicitly by Confucius: ‘14:36: Someone said, "What do you think of the saying ‘Respond to injury with virtue (de)’?" The Master said, "How then will you respond to virtue? Respond to injury with uprightness and to virtue with virtue“’ (4)
Confucius sought a harmonious society, but he was not naive. He understood that the ignoble person should not be permitted to operate unchecked because this would lead to anger and a desire for revenge from those wronged. This concept is the complement of kindness, and ensures that the miscreant cannot break social order by his failure to practice humaneness.
Confucius taught that there was no lasting peace to be found by those who did not practice humaneness because he believed that the short term benefits of a less altruistic, more hedonistic life style were non-sustainable for the longer course of one’s life: ‘7:15: The Master said, "Having coarse rice to eat, water to drink, a bent arm for a pillow - joy lies in the midst of this as well. Wealth and honor that are not rightfully gained are to me as floating clouds."’ (5)
The concept of humaneness was so crucial to his belief of what was necessary for a good life and for fulfilling one’s proper role in society, that Confucius accorded it greater importance than the very lives of its practitioners: ‘15:8: The Master said, "It does not happen that the dedicated officer and the humane person seek life if it means harming their humanity. It does happen that they sacrifice their lives so as to complete their humaneness."’ (6)
Confucius espoused multiple core concepts, and believed that the ‘noble person’ would cultivate all of them to the fullest extent possible, but the above passage shows that he placed the highest priority on humaneness. He does not explicitly suggest here that one would sacrifice one’s life to perform one’s filial duty to one’s king to meet the requirements of being a ‘dedicated official’, nor does he make a similar suggestion of sacrificing one’s life in passages in which he promotes learning, moral force, observation of rites, etc. but he explicitly states that maintaining one’s humaneness is more important than one’s life. Confucius also believed that the primary reason one should cultivate learning (xue) was that it is a necessary pre-requisite for the development of moral character. In turn, he believed that moral character was best demonstrated by humaneness.
Confucius was not obsessively consistent in describing the relationships between his core concepts, preferring to avoid that “hobgoblin of the petty mind.” He expected his students to synthesize an understanding of their complex inter-relationships rather than spoon feed them a single perspective of the synergy which he believed exists between his core principles.
Confucius often remarked on this synergy that he believed existed between the practice of each of his core concepts. In another passage he also draws a direct relationship between filial devotion and humaneness, calling the former the ‘root’ of the latter: ‘1:2: ... The noble person concerns himself with the root; when the root is established, the Way is born. Being filial and fraternal - is this not the root of humaneness?’ (7). He believed that proper social order arose from each person fulfilling their subordinate roles within the society, leading to social harmony in the family, village, and kingdom.
Similarly, Confucius also stated an explicit relationship between humaneness, li, and the practice of the cultural arts of his day, in which he implies that without humaneness observance of proper ritual or attempts to produce a creative expression of the arts are practices without true meaning: ‘3:3: The Master said, "If one is human yet not humane - what can one have to do with the rites? If one is human yet not humane, what can one have to do with music?’(8)
Rote performance of rituals or an artistic impression may be technically perfect, but from Confucius’ view this type of perfection was not the goal of these practices. The purpose of rites/music is to connect one with others at times of joy or strife and/or to show respect to one’s superiors. Merely performing the steps without also gaining these benefits misses the entire point of the rituals/performances.
An unattainable goal is not a meaningful goal for one’s life, as it can lead only to frustration instead of leading to its claimed result. Confucius believed, as do other major religions, that while men are not inherently humane by their nature, that any man can aspire to live in accordance with the principles of humaneness:
4:6: The Master said: I have not seen one who loved humaneness, nor one who hated inhumanity. One who loved humaneness would value nothing more highly. One who hated inhumanity would be humane so as to not allow inhumanity to affect his person. Is there someone whose strength has for the space of a single day been devoted to humaneness? I have not seen one whose strength was insufficient. It may have happened, but i have not seen it. (9)
In this passage Confucius specifies that while rare and difficult to attain, he believes that it is a goal which is attainable by any person who commits to following the proper course of action which will lead to internalizing the practice of humaneness. While all have the strength to attain this goal, he believed that most lacked the necessary will to use that strength toward this end.
Confucius suggested specific practices which he believed would allow any man to live a life characterized by humaneness. Though his exact path is not the same as any other religion, many of his guiding principles are shared by other beliefs. The parallel between his teachings regarding filial devotion and the Christian commandment to “Honor thy Father and Mother” is easily seen, as is the parallel between his focus on li and the practices of observant orthodox Jews during their traditional holidays and in their adherence to kosher eating practices.
The above passages and discussion support the thesis that Confucius believed that practicing humaneness was the ultimate goal of anyone who aspired to be a noble person, and that its practice within a society would lead to harmony and the general welfare of the population. The associated discussions of how western religions have expressed similar beliefs show that these same principles are applicable even where Confucianism is not explicitly practiced.
Confucius derived his philosophy as a solution to the problems faced during the beginning of the Warring States period of Chinese history, but he did not see his practices adopted by the rulers of his day. However, while they were patterned after the noble character he believed motivated the sage kings of the Western Zhou period and he asserted that following the practices of that earlier period would address the specific issues of his place and time, his core teachings have subsequently been embraced by his own countrymen, by people of the surrounding lands, and by people who live in distant lands of which he had no knowledge.
A provincial philosophy can appeal only to those who share the culture in which it is derived. That Confucianism is embraced both within the region from which it originally sprang and by people of vastly different traditions around the globe shows conclusively that its core concept, humaneness, has in the past appealed to and inspired ‘noble people’ regardless of their place or time of birth, and that its appeal is unlikely to fade in the future.
1. William Theodore De Bary, Irene Bloom, and Joseph Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 2nd ed., (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1999), 56.
2. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 50
3. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 59
4. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 58
5. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 51
6. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 59
7. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 45
8. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 48
9. De Bary, Bloom, and Adler, Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1, 48-49
