Confucius and Confucianism: The Essentials

This lively and highly accessible introduction provides a comprehensive account of the life, teachings of Confucius, and the development of Confucian thought from ancient times to the present day.

The book skillfully lays out and explores the philosophical and religious questions at the heart of Confucius thought. These are carefully placed in the context of Chinese society, demonstrating how Confucius responded to the conflicts and pressures of his time and offered solutions to society s problems. After Confucius death, his followers expanded and reinterpreted his ideas a process that continued throughout Chinese history and has developed into the New Confucianism of today. The book also considers the legacy of Confucian thought, tracing his influential ideas and their proponents through the centuries and up to the present day. We see how Confucian teachings have become the basis of East Asian culture.

This lucid and well–organized book will offer both students and general readers the background, information, and analysis they require to understand and appreciate the wisdom and timeless relevance of Confucian teachings.

List of Illustrations.

Preface: Why Confucius?

Book Notes.

Chronology.

1 Confucius World and His Life.

Confucius World: Looking Back to a Long, Unifi ed Civilization.

The Zhou Dynasty.

Ancestors and Spirits.

Heaven and the Choice of Heaven .

The Decline of the Zhou Dynasty and the Rise of the Warring States.

The Life of Confucius.

Sources.

Versions of the Texts.

Hagiography, the Pious Stories of Confucius Life.

Scholarly Versions of Confucius Life.

2 Confucius Teachings I: The Foundation of a Good Person.

Filial Piety.

Dutifulness or Loyalty.

Honesty and Sincerity.

Rightness and Knowledge.

Courage.

Understanding, Sympathy, Compassion.

Humanity.

Ritual.

The Gentleman.

3 Confucius Teachings II: The Foundation of a Good Society and Other Topics.

Setting Words Right.

For the Benefi t of the People.

Laws.

Models.

Education without Distinction.

Women.

The Gods, the Spirits of the Dead, and the Afterlife.

The Choice of Heaven and Heaven.

Fate.

The Way.

4 Terms, and Mozi.

Problems with Schools and –isms .

Problems with the Term Confucianism .

Mozi and Mohism.

5 Opponents.

Daoism.

The Strategists.

The Logicians.

Legalism.

Others.

6 Mencius.

Human Nature is Good.

Human Nature and Heaven.

Government.

Mencius on Confucian Themes.

Summary.

7 Xunzi.

Human Nature is Evil.

Morality is Artifi cial.

Ritual.

Government.

Language.

Heaven.

Xunzi on Confucian Themes.

Summary.

8 Confucians, Confucian Texts, and the Qin Dynasty.

Other Confucian Groups.

Confucius and Confucian Texts.

The First Emperor and the Reunifi cation of China.

9 The Han Dynasty, 206 BCE 220 CE.

History and Development.

The Classics in the Han.

The New Text School.

The Yin–Yang Theory.

Qi.

The Five Phases.

The Status of Confucius.

The Old Text School.

Other Confucian Texts in the Han Dynasty.

Summary.

10 From the Han to the Tang Dynasties, 220 907 CE.

Buddhism and Its Development.

Confucianism from the Han to the Tang Dynasties.

Civil Service Examinations and the Imperial Civil Service.

The Civil Service.

The Status of Confucius in Imperial China.

Confucian Temples.

Confucius as a God.

Confucianism outside of China: Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Summary.

11 Neo–Confucianism.

The Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.

Neo–Confucianism.

Issues in Neo–Confucianism.

Early Neo–Confucian Thinkers.

Zhu Xi (1130 1200) and Li Xue, the School of Principle.

The School of Mind/Heart.

Wang Yangming.

Summary.

12 Confucianism and Modernity.

The Qing Dynasty, 1644 1911.

Kang Youwei (1858 1927) and the Reform of Confucianism.

The May 4th Movement.

The Guomindang and the New Life Movement.

The Communist Party and the Communist Government.

New Confucians.

Confucianism as the Foundation of Chinese Culture.

Substance/Application.

The Confucian Core.

Confucianism as Religion.

Asian Values.

Governments: Taiwan, Singapore, and China.

Critics of New Confucianism.

New Confucianism s Impact and Importance.

Summary.

13 Issues.

What is Confucianism?

Democracy.

The Emphasis on the Economy.

Ritual.

Filial Piety.

Education.

Self–cultivation.

Does Confucianism Include Women? Can Confucianism Include Women?

Critics.

Is Confucianism a Religion? A Philosophy? Something Else?

Summary.

Notes.

Glossary of Names and Terms.

Suggestions for Further Reading.

Bibliography.

Index.

Lee Dian Rainey is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. She has taught Chinese philosophy for over 20 years, and has published widely in the field.

Thoughtful and even humorous, this is a promising choice for use in a university class but should also prove a helpful resource for experts.   (Religious Studies Review, 1 December 2012)

Confucius and Confucianism: The Essentials is an excellent, well–written, and accessible introduction to the Confucian tradition, eminently suitable for both an undergraduate class and a general readership.   (Journal of Chinese Religions, 2012)

"Anyone who comes out of a course based on this book will have not simply an informed sense of Confucius and his legacy but also a critical sense of where that legacy is open to dispute or re–evaluation."
T. H. Barrett, University of London

"This is an excellent survey of the history of Confucianism, incorporating philosophical issues and development and the received histories of key figures in the tradition."
Jennifer L Oldstone–Moore, Wittenberg University