Confucius is considered the first teacher and his teachings are usually expressed in short phrases which are open to various interpretations. The main book of reference is the analects. His philosophical ideas stress the importance of a virtuous life, filial piety, ancestor worship, benevolent and frugal rulers, and inner moral harmony. Confucianism also stresses hierarchical relationships and a regimented social structure, but also places a heavy emphasis on personal relationships. Although Confucianism is not technically classified as a religion (because there are no deities and afterlife theology), it is a belief system with 5,000,000 followers worldwide. Despite the lack of deities, Confucianism does have a central figure that forms the basis for the intellectual tradition: Confucius . The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu, was born around 552 B.C.E. in the small state of Lu and died in 479 B.C.E. In a western context, the founder is known by the title “Confucius”, the Latinized form of the name. This westernized form of the name was first created by Jesuit missionaries in 16th century China. In a time when formal education was a rarity, Confucius served as a teacher to the sons of the nobility. In this role, he traveled from region to region with a small group of disciples (who would become important government officials). Yet, this position did not gain Confucius widespread recognition while he lived–Confucius even considered himself a failure. One of the greatest ambitions of Confucius was to serve as an advisor to a powerful ruler and to bring shape to an ideal world. This forms the basis for many of his teachings on harmony and system of relationships. The first occurrences of a Confucian system may have stemme… … middle of paper … …rnment. Unlike other political ideologies, Confucianism does not lend itself easily to strict laws. In a society where personal relationships are stressed, the laws are diminished and rampant corruption and nepotism may occur. Even if some controls against corruption have been successfully implemented in China, Confucianism as an ideology is criticized for its lack of emphasis on the law. However, critics of this theory point to East Asian Societies such as Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, a state that has been noted as one of the most corruption-free states on earth. Yet, the answer to these criticisms point to continuing issues with corruption, and state that recently these societies have been influenced by the Western, Kantian system or even a legalist system. Prevailing Confucian influence is also found in meritocracy, and the civil service examinations in China.
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