Chinese philosophers of antiquity. Abstract: Philosophy of ancient China

In the entire history of China, no one has been able to overshadow the glory of Confucius.

He was neither a discoverer nor an inventor, but every inhabitant of the planet knows his name thanks to his outstanding philosophical teachings.

From the biography of Confucius:

Little is known about this outstanding man, but this does not prevent us from considering Confucius to be an influential figure in the development of China.

Confucius (real name - Kong Qiu) is an ancient sage and philosopher of China. He was born around 551 BC. e. His mother, Yan Zhengzai, was a concubine and was only 17 years old at the time. Shuliang He's father was already 63 years old at that time, he was a descendant of Wei-tzu, the commander of the emperor. The boy was given the name Kong Qiu at birth. When the child was one and a half years old, the father died.

After the death of the father of little Confucius, there were heavy quarrels between the two wives and the young concubine, which forced the boy's mother to leave the house. After moving to the city of Qufu, Yan Zhengzai began to live by herself with her son. Confucius had a difficult childhood, from a young age he had to work. Yan Zhengzai's mother talked about his ancestors and their great activities. This was a huge incentive for the return of the great title that had been lost. Listening to the stories of his mother, about his father and his noble family, Confucius understood that in order to be worthy of his kind, it is necessary to engage in self-education.

To begin with, he studied the basis of the education system for young aristocrats - the six arts. In this he succeeded, and he was appointed to the position of an official manager of the barns, then - an official in charge of cattle. At about 19, he married and had two children.

He started his successful career at about 20 years old. + At the same time, Confucius received recognition and created a whole doctrine - Confucianism, which was of great importance for the development of China. He became the founder of the first university and wrote the rules for all classes. He taught 4 disciplines: literature, language, politics and morality in his own private school, which accepted everyone who wanted independence from class and material wealth.

Around 528 BC, his mother dies, and according to tradition, he must leave government work for 3 years. During this period, Confucius was completely immersed in reflections to create an ideal state.

When Confucius was 44 years old, he took over as the seat of the principality of Lu. He was very active in his post, was an experienced and skillful politician. + Soon, great changes began in the country. The stable governments of dynasties were replaced by corrupt greedy officials, internecine strife began. Realizing his hopelessness, Confucius resigned and, together with his students, went to travel around China. At this time, he tried to convey his ideas to the governments of different provinces. Confucius began to preach philosophical doctrine together with his followers. His idea was to preach knowledge to the poor, the plowmen, the old and the young.

For his education, Confucius took a nominal fee, lived on funds allocated by wealthy students. He was engaged in teaching new students and systematizing the ancient books of Shi jin and I jin. The students themselves compiled the book of Lun Yu. It became the fundamental book of Confucianism, which contains brief statements, notes, and actions of their teacher.

At about the age of 60, he ended his wanderings, Confucius returns to his homeland, which he does not leave until his death. The rest of his life he works on his creations: "Books of Songs", "Books of Changes" and on many others. + Interestingly, according to scientists, he had about 3,000 students, but there are about 26 by name.

Although Confucianism is considered a religion, it has nothing to do with theology. It reflects the principles of creating a harmonious society. The basic rule that Confucius formulated is: "Do not do to a person what you do not want to yourself." + Confucius died in the 73rd year, before that he predicted his imminent death, which he told his students about. He died around 479, and there is an opinion that before that he just slept for 7 days. He was buried in a cemetery where his followers were supposed to be buried. + On the site of the house after his death, a temple was built, which was rebuilt more than once, increasing its area. The Confucius House has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1994. In China, it is customary to give the Confucius Prize for achievement in the field of education.

Of course, legends have partially been created around the life and biography of Confucius, but the fact of the influence of his teachings on future generations should not be underestimated.

He was one of the first who proposed the idea of ​​building a highly moral and harmonious society. His teaching found such a wide response among the people that it was accepted as an ideological norm at the state level, and it remained popular for almost 20 centuries. The lessons of Confucius are easy for everyone to understand, which is probably why they inspire people very effectively.

Confucius was an ordinary person, but his teachings are often called religion. Although questions of theology and theology as such are not important for Confucianism at all. All teaching is based on morality, ethics and vital principles of human interaction with humans.

25 interesting facts from the life of Confucius:

1. The family tree of Confucius with a history of approximately 2500 years is the longest in the world. To date, the tree covers 83 generations of the Confucius clan.

2. Confucius is also known by the names: "Great Sage", "The wisest departed teacher", "The first teacher" and "Forever exemplary teacher".

3. Qiu ("Qiū", literally "Hill") - the real name of Confucius, given to him at birth. The teacher's second name was Zhong-ni (仲尼 Zhòngní), meaning "Second of Clay".

4. Confucianism, founded by Confucius and developed by his followers, is one of the most widespread and most ancient teachings in China and throughout the world.

5. The laws issued by Confucius were based on his teachings and were so successful that crime in the kingdom of Lu came to naught.

6. Confucius believed that every citizen should respect and honor the ancestors.

7. At the age of 19, Confucius married a girl named Ki-koan-shi from the Qi family, who lived in the Song kingdom. A year later, they had a son, who was named Lee.

8. At the age of 50 (501 BC), Confucius took over as judge. The entire law and order of the kingdom of Lu was concentrated in his hands.

9. Based on the statements and conversations of the teacher, the students of Confucius compiled the book "Sy Shu" or "Tetrabook".

10. The "Golden Rule" of Confucius says: "Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself." He is also credited with the saying: "What you do not choose yourself, do not impose on others."

11. The name "Confucius" arose at the end of the 16th century in the writings of European missionaries, who thus conveyed the combination Kung Fu Tzu (Chinese 孔夫子, pinyin: Kǒngfūzǐ) in Latin (lat. Confucius), although the name is more often used 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ) with the same meaning "Master [from family/surname] Kun".

12. According to Confucius, a person must overcome himself, cultivating personality through morality and humanity, and destroy the barbarian and egoist in himself.

13. According to the Confucius Family Genealogy Committee, operating in Hong Kong and China, genealogical books listing the descendants of Confucius are considered the most voluminous in the world: they have 43,000 pages and include the names of more than 2 million people.

14. Confucius served as a judge for five years, but the intrigues of spiteful critics led to his resignation in 496 BC.

15. Confucius returned to teaching and in the next 12 years as a teacher won universal love and respect.

16. He believed that the elite of the country would be a positive example for the rest of the nation. Thus, peace and harmony will reign in society.

17. He attributed honesty, goodwill, humility, politeness and sanity to the most important human qualities. Confucius encouraged popular leaders to be exemplars of good manners.

18. Confucius taught students the ideas of the ancient Chinese sages, which he studied himself, in order to achieve reforms in the government, which at that time was mired in corruption and autocracy.

19. Confucius' mother died when he was 23. A year later (in 527 BC), Confucius changed careers and took up teaching.

20. When Confucius was one and a half years old, his father Shuliang He, a military officer, died. The boy grew up in poverty, but was able to get a good education.

21. At the age of 60, Confucius left his labor activity and returned to his small homeland. 12 years later, November 21, 479 BC. he died.

22. One of the most prominent disciples of Confucius and his spiritual heir is the Chinese philosopher Mengzi. The most favorite student of the thinker was Yan Hui.

23. Several tens of thousands of descendants of the "teacher of all Chinese" live outside of China in Korea (34 thousand) and Taiwan.

24. From early childhood, Confucius had to work hard to feed his family. Starting as a simple worker, he rose to the rank of an official responsible for issuing and receiving grain. Later, livestock also came into his charge.

25. Confucius (birth name Kong Qiu) was born in 551 BC. in the city of Zeou (now the city of Qufu in Shandong province), which belonged to the kingdom of Lu.

25 wisest Confucius quotes:

1. In fact, life is simple, but we persistently complicate it.

2.Three things never come back - time, word, opportunity. Therefore: do not waste time, choose words, do not miss the opportunity.

3. In ancient times, people studied in order to improve themselves. Today they study in order to surprise others.

4. A noble soul is serene. The low man is always preoccupied.

5. Not the one who has never fallen is great, but the one who has fallen and risen is great.

6. Incontinence in trifles will ruin a great cause.

7. If they spit in your back, then you are ahead.

8. Three paths lead to knowledge: the path of reflection is the noblest path, the path of imitation is the easiest path, and the path of experience is the most bitter path.

9. Happiness is when you are understood, great happiness is when you are loved, real happiness is when you love.

10. People in ancient times did not like to talk a lot. They considered it a shame for themselves not to keep up with their own words.

11.Gemstone cannot be polished without friction. Similarly, a person cannot become successful without a sufficient number of difficult attempts.

12. Choose a job you love and you won't have to work a day in your life.

13. Try to be at least a little kinder, and you will see that you will not be able to commit a bad deed.

14. You can curse the darkness all your life, or you can light a small candle.

15. Beauty is in everything, but not everyone can see it.

16. We accept advice in drops, but we distribute it in buckets.

17. In a country where there is order, be bold both in actions and in speeches. In a country where there is no order, be bold in action, but careful in speech.

18. Give instructions only to those who seek knowledge, having discovered their ignorance.

19. A noble person makes demands on himself, a low person makes demands on others.

20. Misfortune came - a man gave birth to him, happiness came - a man raised him.

21. I am not upset if people do not understand me - I am upset if I do not understand people.

22. Before taking revenge, dig two graves.

23. If you hate, then you have been defeated.

24. You can overcome bad habits only today, not tomorrow.

25. Only when the cold comes, it becomes clear that the pines and cypresses are the last to lose their dress.

Temple of Confucius

from Wikipedia, photo from the Internet

Introduction

1. Thinkers of Ancient China

Three Great Thinkers of Ancient China

2.1 Lao Tzu

2 Confucius

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

China is a country of ancient history, culture and philosophy.

Ancient China arose on the basis of Neolithic cultures that developed in the 5th-3rd millennium BC. in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The Yellow River basin became the main territory for the formation of the ancient civilization of China, which for a long time developed in conditions of relative isolation. Only from the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. the process of expanding the territory begins, in a southerly direction, first to the Yangtze basin area, and then further south.

On the verge of our era, the state of Ancient China goes far beyond the Huang He basin, although the northern border, the ethnic territory of the ancient Chinese, remains almost unchanged.

The ancient Chinese class society and statehood formed somewhat later than the ancient civilizations of Ancient Western Asia, but nevertheless, after their emergence, they begin to develop at a fairly rapid pace and in Ancient China high forms of economic, political and cultural life are created, which lead to the folding of the original socio-political and cultural system.

Chinese philosophy is part of Eastern philosophy. Its influence on the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan is equivalent to the influence of ancient Greek philosophy on Europe. Thus, the relevance of the topic lies in the fact that the thinkers of Ancient China left their mark on history, whose experience is currently being used.

The purpose of this work: to study the greatest thinkers of Ancient China and characterize the main provisions of their teachings.

. Thinkers of Ancient China

The religions of China have never existed in the form of a rigidly centralized "church". The traditional religion of ancient China was a mixture of local beliefs and ceremonies, united into a single whole by the universal theoretical constructions of pundits.

However, among both the educated classes and the peasantry, the three great philosophical schools, often referred to as the three religions of China, gained the greatest popularity: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. All these teachings are more philosophical than religious, in contrast to ancient Indian philosophy, which has always been closely associated with religious tradition.

Ancient Chinese philosophy arose around the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The ideas that formed the basis of philosophy were formed in the monuments of the ancient Chinese literary tradition, such as the Shu Jing (Book of Documentary Writings), Shi Jing (Book of Poems), and I Ching (Book of Changes).

Ancient Chinese philosophy is characterized by features that are not characteristic of other Eastern philosophical traditions. It must be said that the ancient Chinese had no idea about the transcendental God, about the creation of the world by God from nothing, they had no idea about the dualism of the ideal and material principles of the world. In ancient China, there were no traditional ideas for the West, India, and the Middle East about the soul as some kind of non-material substance that separates from the body after death. Although ideas about the spirits of ancestors existed.

At the heart of the Chinese worldview are ideas about qi. Qi is understood as a kind of vital energy that permeates absolutely everything in the world. Everything in the world is transformations of Qi.

Qi is a kind of quasi-material substance that cannot be defined only as material or spiritual.

Matter and spirit are inseparable, they are consubstantial and mutually reducible, that is, spirit and matter are in a state of constant mutual transition.

At the heart of existence is the Primordial Qi (Boundless, Chaos, One), which is polarized into two parts - yang (positive) and yin (negative). Yang and Yin are interchangeable. Their transition constitutes the great Tao-path.

The negative potentially contains the positive and vice versa. Thus, the power of Yang reaches its limit and passes into Yin and vice versa. This position is called the Great Limit and is depicted graphically as a "Monad".

Considering everything that exists as a unity of opposite principles, Chinese thinkers explained the endless process of movement by their dialectical interaction. Filling the Universe, generating and preserving life, these primary substances or forces determine the essence of the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth.

Actually, these ideas underlie ancient Chinese philosophy and are supported by all Chinese thinkers, with some differences in interpretation.

Differences between Chinese and Western philosophy: integral (holic) perception instead of analytical and cyclical processes instead of their static, linearity. Three of the greatest thinkers of ancient China, to whom we will pay the most attention in the next chapter:

Lao Tzu- covered with a halo of mystery;

Confucius- revered by all;

Mo Tzu- now little known, who, however, more than four centuries before the birth of Christ formulated the concept of universal love.

Acquaintance with the views of these thinkers is facilitated by the fact that there are three texts directly related to their names.

2. The Three Greatest Thinkers of Ancient China

.1 Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu - a nickname meaning "old teacher" - the great sage of Ancient China, who laid the foundations of Taoism - the direction of Chinese thought that has come down to our days. Approximately, the life of Lao Tzu is attributed to the 7th-6th centuries BC. He is considered the author of the main treatise of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching, which has become the most popular test of ancient Chinese philosophy in the West.

Little is known about the life of this sage, and the authenticity of the available information is often criticized by scientists. But it is known that he was the keeper of the imperial archive of the Zhou court - the greatest book depository of Ancient China. Therefore, Lao Tzu had free access to various ancient and contemporary texts, which allowed him to develop his own teaching.

The fame of this sage went throughout the Celestial Empire, so when he decided to leave the kingdom of Zhou, he was stopped at the outpost and asked to leave his teaching in writing for his kingdom. Lao Tzu compiled the treatise "Tao Te Ching", which translates as "The Canon of the Way and Grace." The entire treatise speaks of the category of Tao.

Tao means "The Way" in Chinese. According to Lao Tzu, Tao underlies the world and the world realizes Tao. Everything in the world is Tao. Tao is inexpressible, it can be comprehensible, but not verbally. Lao Tzu wrote: "The Tao that can be expressed in words is not a permanent Tao." The doctrine of Tao is closely connected with the doctrine of the mutual transition of opposites.

Lao Tzu, who lived earlier than two other great Chinese thinkers (VI-V centuries BC), is not easy to understand, not only because his basic concept of “tao” is very ambiguous: it is both “the main thing over many things” and “mother earth and sky”, “the fundamental principle of the world”, and “root”, and “path”; but also because in comprehending this concept we do not have the opportunity (as, for example, in ancient Indian and other cultures) to rely on any mythological images that would facilitate assimilation. Tao is as vague in Lao Tzu as the concept of Heaven in all Chinese culture.

Tao is the source of all things and the basis of the functioning of being. One of the definitions of Tao is "root". The root is underground, it is not visible, but it exists before the plant that emerges from it. Just as primary is the invisible Tao, from which the whole world is produced.

Tao is also understood as a natural law of the development of nature. The main meaning of the hieroglyph "tao" is "the road along which people walk." Tao is the path that people follow in this life, and not just something outside of it. A person who does not know the way is doomed to delusion, he is lost.

Tao can also be interpreted as unity with nature through subordination to the same laws. "The path of a noble man begins among men and women, but its deep principles exist in nature." As soon as this universal law exists, there is no need for any moral law - either in the natural law of karma or in the artificial law of human society.

The proximity of Taoism to the emerging new understanding of nature is pointed out by ecologists. Laozi advises adapting to natural cycles, points to self-movement in nature and the importance of balance, and perhaps the concept of "tao" is a prototype of modern ideas about cosmic information belts.

Tao is sought in oneself. “He who knows himself, he will be able to find out [the essence of things], and whoever knows people, he is able to do things.” To know the Tao, one must free oneself from one's own passions. The one who knows the Tao achieves "natural balance", because all opposites harmonize and achieve self-satisfaction.

The Tao desires nothing and strives for nothing. People should do the same. Everything natural happens as if by itself, without much effort of the individual. The natural course is opposed to the artificial activity of a person pursuing his selfish, selfish goals. Such activity is reprehensible, therefore the main principle of Lao Tzu is not an act (wuwei) - "non-intervention", "non-resistance". Wuwei is not passivity, but rather non-resistance to the natural course of events and activity in accordance with it. This is the principle, following which, a person preserves his own integrity, at the same time gaining unity with existence. This is the way of realizing one's own Tao, which cannot be different from the universal Tao. To acquire one's own Tao is the goal of every Taoist and should be the goal of every person, but this is difficult to achieve and requires a lot of effort, although at the same time it takes away from all kinds of exertion.

For a better understanding of the teachings of Lao Tzu, it is necessary to immerse yourself in reading his treatise and try to understand it at the inner intuitive level, and not at the level of logical-discursive thinking, which our Western mind always refers to.

.2 Confucius

taoism thinker confucius philosophical

The younger contemporary of Lao Tzu Confucius or Kung Tzu "Master Kun" (c. 551 - c. 479 BC) pays tribute to Heaven, traditional for Chinese culture, as the creator of all things and calls to unquestioningly follow fate, but pays main attention to conscious construction social ties necessary for the normal functioning of society. Confucius is the founder of the doctrine, which is known as Confucianism.

"Teacher Kun" was born into a poor family, he was left an orphan early and knew the need, although, according to legend, his family was aristocratic. The men of this family were either officials or military men. His father was already at an advanced age (70 years old) when he married a young girl (16 years old), so it is not surprising that when Confucius, or as he was called in the family, Qiu was 3 years old, his father passed away.

From a young age, Qiu was noted for his prudence and desire for learning. When he was seven years old, his mother gave him to a public school, where he already amazed teachers with his mind and wisdom. After training, Qiu entered the civil service. At first he was a merchant bailiff, supervising the freshness of market products. His next job was the service of an inspector of arable fields, forests and herds. At this time, the future teacher Kun is also engaged in science and is improving in the ability to read and interpret ancient tests. Also at the age of 19, Qiu marries a girl from a noble family. He has a son and a daughter, but family life did not bring happiness to Confucius. The service began to bring popularity to Confucius among officials and they began to talk about him as a very capable young man, and it seemed that a new promotion was waiting for him, but his mother suddenly died. Confucius, faithfully fulfilling the traditions, was forced to leave the service and observe three years of mourning.

After he returns to the work of a service man, but he already has students who have learned about the wisdom and knowledge of the great traditions, Confucius. At the age of 44, he took the high post of governor of the city of Zhong-du. The number of students grew. He traveled a lot and everywhere found those willing to join his wisdom. After a long journey, Confucius returns to his homeland, and he spends the last years of his life at home, surrounded by numerous students.

Confucius's main work, Lun Yu (Discourses and Sayings), was written down by his students and enjoyed such popularity throughout the subsequent history of China that he was even forced to memorize it in schools. It begins with a phrase that almost verbatim coincides with the well-known to us: "Learn and from time to time repeat what you have learned."

The activity of Confucius falls on a difficult period for Chinese society, the transition from one formation - slaveholding, to another - feudal, and at this time it was especially important to prevent the collapse of social foundations. Confucius and Lao Tzu followed different paths towards this goal.

The primacy of morality, preached by Confucius, was determined by the desire of the Chinese spirit for stability, tranquility and peace. The teachings of Confucius are devoted to how to make the state happy through the growth of morality, first of all, the upper strata of society, and then the lower ones. “If you lead the people through laws and keep order through punishments, the people will seek to evade punishment and will not feel shame. If you lead the people through virtue and maintain order through rituals, the people will know shame, and it will be corrected. The moral model for Confucius is a noble husband: devoted, sincere, faithful, just. The opposite of a noble husband is a low man.

The desire for realism led Confucius to follow the rule " golden mean» - avoidance of extremes in activity and behavior. "A principle such as the "golden mean" is the highest principle." The concept of the middle is closely connected with the concept of harmony. A noble husband “... strictly adheres to the middle and does not lean in one direction. This is where true power lies! When order reigns in the state, he does not abandon the behavior that he had before ... When there is no order in the state, he does not change his principles until his death. The Greek philosophers did the same. But a noble man is not reckless. When order reigns in the state, his words contribute to prosperity; when there is no order in the state, his silence helps him to keep himself.

Of great importance both in the history of China and in the teachings of Confucius is the adherence to certain rules and ceremonies established once and for all. “The use of ritual is valuable because it brings people into agreement. The ritual recognizes only those deeds that are consecrated and verified by tradition. Reverence without ritual leads to fussiness; caution without ritual leads to timidity; courage without ritual leads to unrest; straightforwardness without ritual leads to rudeness.” The purpose of the ritual is to achieve not only social harmony within, but also harmony with nature. “The ritual is based on the constancy of the movement of the sky, the order of phenomena on earth and the behavior of the people. Since heavenly and earthly phenomena occur regularly, then the people take them as a model, imitating the clarity of heavenly phenomena, and agree with the nature of earthly phenomena ... But if this is abused, then everything will be confused and the people will lose their natural qualities. Therefore, to support these natural qualities, a ritual was created. ”

Ritual, in a picturesque expression, "is the colorfulness of duty." What is a person's duty? The father should show parental feelings, and the son - respectfulness; the elder brother - kindness, and the younger - friendliness, the husband - justice, and the wife - obedience, the elders - mercy, the younger - humility, the sovereign - philanthropy, and subjects - devotion. These ten qualities are called human duty.

Confucius proclaimed a principle that runs like a red thread through the entire history of ethics: "Do not do to people what you do not wish for yourself." He was not the first to formulate this moral maxim, later called the "golden rule of ethics." It is also found in many ancient cultures, and then among the philosophers of modern times. But this saying expresses the essence of the basic concepts of Confucius - philanthropy, humanity.

We meet in Confucius and many other thoughts regarding the rules of the hostel. Don't be sad that people don't know you, but be sad that you don't know people." “Do not enter into the affairs of another when you are not in his place.” "I listen to people's words and look at their actions."

Understanding the meaning of knowledge, Confucius warned against an exaggerated idea of ​​one's own knowledge: “Knowing something, consider that you know; not knowing, consider that you do not know - this is the correct attitude towards knowledge. He stressed the importance of combining learning with reflection: "In vain is learning without thought, dangerous is thought without learning."

The similarity between Lao Tzu and Confucius is that both of them, in accordance with the archetype of Chinese thought, were looking for constancy, but Lao Tzu found it not in deed, but Confucius found it in constancy of activity - ritual. There was also a common call to limit needs.

The difference between them lies in what they considered more important. But Lao Tzu also wrote about philanthropy, and Confucius said: "If you learn the right path in the morning, you can die in the evening."

.3 Mo Tzu

Mo-tzu (Mo Di) - the founder of the doctrine and school of the Moists, identified wisdom and virtue, and with his preaching of love was close to Christ.

The years of Mo-tzu's life are approximately 479 - 381 years. BC. He was born in the kingdom of Lu and belonged to "xia", that is, wandering warriors or knights. "Xia" were often recruited not only from the impoverished houses of the nobility, but also from the lower strata of the population. Mo-tzu was originally an admirer of Confucianism, but then departs from it and creates the first oppositional teaching. The critical attitude towards Confucianism was due to dissatisfaction with the established traditional and rather burdensome system of rules of conduct and ritual. Compliance with all the rules of the ritual often required not only internal efforts, but also external ones. The ritual took a lot of time and sometimes forced to spend a lot of money on its exact observance. As a result, Mo-tzu comes to the conclusion that ritual and music are a luxury that is inaccessible to the lower strata or the impoverished nobility, and therefore requires abolition.

Mo Tzu and his followers organized a highly disciplined organization that was even capable of waging war. Mo Tzu was "perfectly wise" in the eyes of his students.

Mo Di preached the principle of universal love and the principle of mutual benefit. Mo-tzu formulated the principle of universal love in a clear form, opposing love that “does not know differences but the degree of kinship”, separate, selfish love, that each person should love the other as the closest, for example, like his father or mother. Note that love (in the understanding of Mo-tzu) concerns relationships between people, and not to God, as in Christianity.

The principle of mutual benefit assumed that everyone should share their sorrows and joys, as well as poverty and wealth with everyone, then all people will be equal. These principles were put into practice within the framework of the organization created by Mo Di.

Lao Tzu and Confucius emphasized the importance of the will of Heaven as the highest power. According to Mo Tzu, the events of our life do not depend on the zero of Heaven, but on the efforts made by man. However, Heaven has thoughts and desires. “To follow the thoughts of Heaven means to follow universal mutual love, the mutual benefit of people, and this will certainly be rewarded. Speech against the thoughts of Heaven sow mutual hatred, incite to harm each other, and this will certainly entail punishment. The authors of the History of Chinese Philosophy correctly write that Mo Tzu used the authority of Heaven as an ideological weapon to substantiate the truth of his views. Later, Marx also used the concept of objective laws of social development.

Like all the great utopians, Mo Tzu created his own concept of an ideal state and even an idea of ​​three successive phases of social development: from the era of "disorder and unrest" through the era of "great prosperity" to the society of "great unity". But after all, not all people want a transition from disorder and unrest to prosperity and unity.

The views of Mo Tzu were very popular in IV-III centuries BC, but then the realism of Confucius still won in the practical soul of the Chinese. After the death of Mo Di, at the end of the 4th century BC. the Mo Di school is undergoing a split into two or three organizations. In the second half of the III century BC. there was a practical and theoretical collapse of the organization and teachings of Mo Di, after which she could no longer recover, and in the future this teaching existed only as a spiritual heritage of Ancient China.

The teachings of Confucius also aspire to the ideal, but the ideal of moral self-improvement. Mo Tzu was a social utopian and wanted to enforce universal equality. Confucius took his place between Lao Tzu, with his non-action, and Mo Tzu, with his violence; and his concept turned out to be the "golden mean" between passivity and extremism.

Conclusion

The most prominent philosophers of Ancient China, who largely determined its problems and development for centuries to come, are Lao Tzu (second half of the 6th - first half of the 5th century BC) and Confucius (Kung Fu Tzu, 551-479 BC). BC), as well as other thinkers, and primarily the philosophical heritage of Mo-tzu. These teachings give a fairly objective idea of ​​the philosophical searches of ancient Chinese thinkers.

Lao Tzu is an ancient Chinese philosopher of the 6th-4th centuries BC, one of the founders of the teachings of Taoism, the author of the treatise "Tao Te Ching" ("Canon of the Way and Grace"). The central idea of ​​Lao Tzu's philosophy was the idea of ​​two principles - Tao and Te. The word "Tao" literally means "way"; in this philosophical system it received a much broader metaphysical content. Tao also means the essence of things and the total being of the universe. The very concept of "tao" can be interpreted materialistically: Tao is nature, the objective world.

Confucius is an ancient thinker and philosopher of China. His teachings had a profound impact on the life of China and East Asia, becoming the basis of the philosophical system known as Confucianism. Although Confucianism is often referred to as a religion, it does not have the institution of a church and is not concerned with issues of theology. Confucian ethics is not religious. The teachings of Confucius dealt mainly with social and ethical problems. The ideal of Confucianism is the creation of a harmonious society according to the ancient model, in which every person has his own function. A harmonious society is built on the idea of ​​devotion, aimed at maintaining harmony and this society itself. Confucius formulated the golden rule of ethics: "Do not do to a person what you do not want for yourself."

Mo Tzu is an ancient Chinese philosopher who developed the doctrine of universal love. The religious form of this doctrine - Moism - for several centuries competed in popularity with Confucianism.

So, it can be said with full justification that Laozi, Confucius and Mo-tzu, with their philosophical work, laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese philosophy for many centuries to come.

Bibliography

1.Gorelov A.A. Fundamentals of Philosophy: textbook. allowance. - M.: Academy, 2008. - 256 p.

2.History of Chinese Philosophy / Ed. M.L.Titarenko. - M.: Progress, 1989. - 552 p.

3.Lukyanov A.E. Lao Tzu and Confucius: The Philosophy of Tao. - M.: Eastern literature, 2001. - 384 p.

.Rykov S. Yu. The doctrine of knowledge among the late Mohists // Society and the State in China: XXXIX Scientific Conference / Institute of Oriental Studies RAS. - M. - 2009. - S.237-255.

.Shevchuk D.A. Philosophy: lecture notes. - M.: Eksmo, 2008. - 344 p.

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Another fundamental concept of Taoism, closely related to the concept of qi and the principle of yin-yang, is the concept five primary elements, which are ranked in order of importance as follows: water, fire, wood, earth and metal. These primary elements are given great importance in all traditional Chinese philosophy, science, astrology and medicine; references to them are often found in Chinese texts; without them, Chinese folklore is inconceivable, and, to one degree or another, they influence the everyday affairs of the Chinese.

THE STUDY OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS

Any person who has tried to seriously study the Taoist postulate of the five primary elements will inevitably come across an unusual mixture of mystery, superstition and logical constructions full of common sense. And the realization that this conglomeration of concepts has puzzled many of the best minds in the West, and indeed some thinkers in China itself, can hardly be comforting enough. The attitude of modern Chinese to the five elements is similar to the attitude of Western Europeans to the texts of the Old Testament: many unconditionally believe in what is written there, others tend to interpret them critically. And although the Chinese are ardent adherents of traditions, at the same time they are also characterized by pragmatism of thinking; it is unlikely that many of them perceive all the provisions of their traditional teaching without a certain amount of skepticism.

WHAT IS THE FIVE PRIMARY ELEMENTS?

When defining the conceptual essence of the five primary elements, it is easier to identify what they are not than what is hidden under these categories. They are definitely not adequate to the four elements of the ancient Greeks - air, earth, fire and water, which were considered as the main components of the entire material universe. They can in no way be linked with the hundred elements that modern chemistry operates on, such as oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, sulfur, iron, etc., and which, in their various combinations, are capable of forming a great many complex compounds. The five primary elements of the Chinese are non-material and poorly correlated with real entities. In other words, fire is not fire as such, water is not water, and so on.

These elements can be briefly and far from exhaustively presented as certain properties and influences. So, for example, those things that have the property of emitting heat, heating, whether it be feverish heat or sunlight, are considered associated with or caused by the element of fire. And with this approach, it is completely understandable why the ancient Chinese philosophers describe the sun as a "fiery force", but it is much more difficult to explain why they call the heart the "fiery organ" - although the heat of the human body is maintained by the blood circulation provided by the pulsation of the heart. In the same way, the kidneys and taste sensations are associated with the element of water, because both urine (produced by the kidneys) and sea water taste equally salty. Metals often have a luster, and therefore other objects, such as glass or a polished surface, are associated with metal, or the brilliance of these objects is attributed to the influence of this element.

Ancient Chinese philosophers also used these five elements to explain phenomena that, although they did not fully understand them, existed in reality - the changes of the seasons, the movements of the planets, some bodily functions, as well as those concepts that in modern Western science are denoted by letters from the Greek alphabet (for example, ψ) or special terms with which the laws of nature are formulated in astronomy, chemistry, physics, biology, etc.

ESSENCE OF LANGUAGE

Although the origin of the five primary elements is hidden by a veil of mystery, it is reasonable to assume that their development coincided in time with the development of language, being an elementary idea thousands of years ago. There is evidence that yin-yang symbols were inscribed on turtle shells at a time when most people were very far from any kind of education. The simple word "fire", the meaning of which is clear to everyone without exception, was used to denote such concepts as heat, warmth, temperature, dryness, excitement, passion, energy, etc., the subtle semantic differences between which were simply not accessible to people's understanding. In the same way, the word "water" concentrated in itself the concepts: coldness, humidity, dampness, dew, flow, etc.

ESSENCE OF PHILOSOPHY

The Huai Nan Zu, or Book of Huai Nan, written for an ancient prince and consisting of 21 volumes, explains how heaven and earth became yin and yang, how the four seasons arose from yin and yang, and how Yang gave birth to fire, the quintessence of which was embodied in the Sun.

Confucian sage Zhou Dunyi(1017-73) wrote about yin and yang:

Yin arises from inaction, while yang arises from action. When inaction reaches its climax, action is born, and when action reaches its maximum, inaction again sets in. This alternation of yin and yang gives rise to the five primary elements: water, fire, wood, metal and earth; and when they are in harmony with each other, the seasons smoothly succeed each other.

In the treatise Shujing it is said that the purpose of water is to soak and fall; the purpose of fire is to warm and rise; the purpose of the tree is to bend or be straight; the purpose of the metal is to obey or change; the purpose of the land is to influence crops and crops. Accordingly, the five primary elements correlate with the five taste qualities recognized by the Chinese - salty, bitter, sour, dry and sweet.

Such explanations may seem far-fetched, but they also contain a certain logic. And it should be remembered that the ancient sages built their concepts without having the knowledge that is available to modern man.

RELATIONSHIPS

The table below shows how the five elements relate to different concepts. But if the parallel between fire, Mars, red and bitterness is obvious, then some other associative chains are not so easy to explain logically.

Water	Fire	Wood	Metal	Earth
Mercury	Mars	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
black	red	green	white	yellow
salty	bitter	sour	dry	sweet
fear	pleasure	anger	anxiety	passion
rotten	caustic	rancid	disgusting	fragrant
cold	hot	windy	dry	wet
six	seven	eight	nine	five
pig	horse	rooster	dog	bull
kidneys	a heart	liver	lungs	spleen

THE ESSENCE OF MEDICINE

In traditional Chinese medicine, the five elements, along with the five colors, are used to represent the relationship between treatments and different organs, since vital organs are associated with certain emotions, herbal preparations have different tastes, and some disease states may be accompanied by a characteristic odor emanating from the human body. Such symbolic links were certainly useful in a time when physicians had limited scientific knowledge.

It is clear that the first healers in China were shamans, or healers-sorcerers. Their treatment was reduced to a combination of sound therapy and various magical actions. And naturally, the sick, unless they themselves were shamans, had to believe that the elements have a beneficial effect.

ESSENCE OF ASTROLOGY

The five primary elements are given great importance in Chinese astrology, which is based on a 60-year cycle, which, in turn, is made up of two shorter cycles, the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches. Each of the Ten Heavenly Stems is designated by one of the five elements of both yin and yang natures. And the Twelve Earthly Branches bear the names of twelve animals, each of which corresponds to one year of the so-called 12-year "animal" cycle. At the same time, each “animal” year also corresponds to one of the five primary elements and can be of both yin and yang nature. For example, 1966, which was marked by the sign of the horse, fire and yang, symbolized the essence of a horse with a hot temperament. 1959 was the year of the pig, earth and yin, and embodied the essence of the fair and impartial pig. Within a 60-year cycle, 60 different combinations are possible. Moreover, each combination is repeated only once in sixty years. So, 1930 was the year of the horse, metal and yang. The year 1990 passed under the same signs.

The characteristics of "animal" years are given in more detail in the section.

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Philosophy of Ancient China - the most important briefly. Confucianism briefly and Taoism. This is another topic from a series of articles on philosophy. In a previous post, we reviewed together. Now let's turn to ancient Chinese philosophy.

Philosophy of Ancient China

Philosophy in China began to develop in the fifth century BC, when society began to stratify along economic lines and a class of wealthy city dwellers and an extremely poor class of village dwellers arose. As well as a class of officials who own not only money, but also land.

The philosophy of Ancient China is based on the principle of the trinity of the Universe represented by Earth, Sky and Man. The Universe is an energy ("Ci"), divided into the feminine and the masculine - yin and yang.

The philosophy of ancient China has a mythological-religious origin in the same way as the philosophy of ancient India. Its main characters were spirits and gods. The world was understood as the interaction of 2 principles - male and female.

It was believed that at the moment of creation the Universe was a chaos and there was no division into Earth and Sky. Chaos was ordered and divided into Earth and Sky by two born spirits - yin (the patron of the Earth) and yang (the patron of Heaven).

4 Concepts of Chinese Philosophical Thinking

• Holism- is expressed in the harmony of man with the world.
• Intuitiveness- the earthly essence can be known only through intuitive insight.
• Symbolism- the use of images as tools for thinking.
• Tiyan- the fullness of the macrocosm can be comprehended only by emotional experience, moral awareness, volitional impulses.

Confucianism

Confucianism - the main ideas briefly. This philosophical school was created by Confucius, who lived in the 6th-5th centuries BC. During this period, China was torn apart by turmoil and the struggle for power between senior officials and the emperor. The country was plunged into chaos and civil strife.

This philosophical direction reflected the idea of ​​changing chaos and ensuring order and prosperity in society. Confucius believed that the main occupation of a person in life should be the pursuit of harmony and observance of moral rules.

The main part of the philosophy of Confucianism is considered human life. It is necessary to educate a person and only then do everything else. It is necessary to devote a lot of time to the soul of people, and as a result of such education, the whole society and political life will be in harmonious interaction with each other and there will be neither chaos nor wars.

Taoism

Taoism is considered one of the most important philosophies in China. Its founder is Lao Tzu. According to the philosophy of Taoism, Tao is the law of nature that governs everything and everyone, from one person to all things. A person, if he wants to be happy, must follow this path and be in harmony with the entire Universe. If everyone observes the principle of the Tao, it will lead to freedom and prosperity.

The basic idea of ​​Taoism (basic category) is non-action. If a person observes the Tao, then he can completely follow non-action. Lao denied the effort of one person and society in relation to nature, since this only leads to chaos and an increase in tension in the world.

If someone wants to rule the world, then he will inevitably lose and doom himself to defeat and oblivion. That is why non-action should serve as the most important principle of life, as soon as it is able to give freedom and happiness to a person.

Legalism

Xun Tzu is considered its founder. According to his ideas, ethics is needed in order to keep everything bad that is in human essence under control. His follower Han-Fei went further and argued that the basis of everything should be a totalitarian political philosophy, which is based on the main principle - a person is an evil being and seeks to benefit everywhere and avoid punishment before the law. In legalism, the most important idea was the idea of ​​order, which should determine the social order. There is nothing above it.

Moism

Its founder Mozi (470-390 BC). He believed that the most basic should be the idea of ​​love and equality of all living things. According to his beliefs, people need to be told which traditions are the best. It is necessary to strive for the good of everyone, and power is a tool for this, and should encourage behavior that benefits as many people as possible.

Philosophy of Ancient China - the most important briefly. VIDEO

Ideas of Confucianism briefly. VIDEO

Taoism. Key ideas and principles in 1 minute. VIDEO.

Summary

I think the article “Philosophy of Ancient China is the most important thing. Confucianism and Taoism in brief” has become useful for you. Did you know:

• about the main schools of ancient Chinese philosophy;
• about the 4 main concepts of the philosophy of Ancient China;
• about the main ideas and principles of Confucianism and Taoism.

I wish you all always a positive attitude for all your projects and plans!

The Chinese tradition, unlike the Indian one, is least of all connected with religion. The efforts of the Chinese, their abilities and work were focused on earthly life, on the desire to realize themselves in this world. Such features of Chinese culture as sobriety, rationalism, stability, high appreciation of life, love for a clear organization and order determined the specific features of ancient Chinese philosophy.

Ancient Chinese philosophy is, first of all, practical philosophy. It is addressed to the practice of today, to the earthly, and not to the other world life. Unlike the Indians, the Chinese were keenly interested in socio-political problems. At the center of the reflections of the philosophers of ancient China were the issues of government and ethics.

Ancient Chinese philosophy is naturalistic philosophy. Naturalism manifested itself, first of all, in the fact that traditional Chinese thought had an orientation towards the natural course of things. It lacked ideas of purely spiritual entities. This circumstance was also associated with the lack of development of formal logic in ancient China.

The beginning of ancient Chinese philosophy was laid by comments on one of the earliest literary monuments of Ancient China - The Book of Changes (I Ching).

The ancient Chinese believed in an unbiased higher regulatory force - tian which establishes a sacred social order in accordance with the cosmic order of Heaven. To find out the desire of Heaven, what awaits a person in the future, the Chinese turned to soothsayers. The same in their predictions were guided trigrams which were built using two lines (solid and broken), symbolizing the duality of cosmic forces. The trigrams formed the basis of the Book of Changes. However, this book was used not only as a practical guide to predictions. It laid the foundations of the doctrine, which was accepted by the ancient Chinese philosophers.

The dual cosmic forces "The Book of Changes" calls yang and yin: yang is indicated by a solid line (-), and yin is indicated by a broken line (- -). These concepts replaced such more ancient designations of the forces of the cosmos as heaven and earth, sun and moon, etc.

Jan - positive, masculine, active, bright, solid beginning. yin - negative, feminine, passive, dark, soft beginning. The Book of Changes describes yang and yin as forces that perpetuate the universe through an endless chain of transformations. The interaction of yang and yin is determined by the Tao. Dao (Higher Path) represents the natural order, the highest degree of organization of nature and at the same time the path that a person must go through in his life.

Those who have aligned their lives with the rhythms of the yin-yang Tao live happily ever after. Those who shied away from this doomed themselves to misfortune and premature death. Those who lived in harmony with nature accumulated a large amount qi - the life force that periodically fills the universe. The accumulation of this force leads to an increase de - virtues. Not only a person could possess De, birds and animals, plants and stones could have it. For example, it was believed that the tortoise has a large amount of de and lives for a long time, and the pine tree is a repository of de and does not fade.

It has also been argued that de forms a link between the dead and the living. Members of the ruling class have a large supply of de, which they have inherited from their ancestors and which they will pass on to their descendants. After the death of a person, one of his soul - on- remains in the body until its decomposition, and the other - hun- rises to heaven and feeds on the sacrifices that are made by descendants so that the de of the ancestors does not decrease. At the same time, the descendants are guided whether (rituals, ceremonies), that is, established rules of conduct.

Ordinary people did not have an ancestor cult, so they had a small amount of de. Their behavior is guided by su (customs). The most important thing for them is not to violate the customs of the natural order, to maintain constant contact with the forces of nature. Su received expression in seasonal holidays, on which the spirits of the earth, mountains, rivers were appeased.

Many concepts from the Book of Changes have become common to all areas of traditional Chinese philosophy.

Ancient Chinese philosophy during its heyday, in the VI-III centuries. BC, was represented by many schools competing with each other ( Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Mohism, natural philosophy school, school of names and etc.). In a later period, only two of these schools survived as independent schools - Taoism and Confucianism. At the beginning of a new era, Buddhism, which came from India, was added to them. As a result, the so-called "triad of teachings" was gradually formed, which has existed in China up to the present time.

The concept of Tao gave its name to the school Taoism. Moreover, the ancient Taoists themselves did not call their teaching that way. This name appeared later in

Lao Tzu (604-531 BC) is an ancient Chinese philosopher. His real name is Li Er. He was nicknamed the Elderly Baby (Lao Tzu), because, according to legend, his mother carried him in her womb for 81 years, and he was already born a wise old man. There is no reliable information about his life. It is believed that he served as an archivist at the Zhou court and met with Confucius. Leaving China forever, he left with the head of the frontier outpost an exposition of his teaching called " Tao Te Ching"("The Higher Path and its Good Power"). Lao Tzu is considered the founder of Taoism, which has become both a philosophical school and a religion.

historical writings to denote the philosophy of the Tao Way, the founder of which was Lao Tzu.

Lao Tzu understood Tao as the highest first principle and first cause of the world and called it "the mother of all things." He spoke of Tao as generating things and as "nourishing" them, denoting the latter with the concept of "de" (good power). At the same time, Tao does not interfere with the natural course of things, giving them the opportunity to develop in a predetermined order. Lao Tzu expressed this idea as follows: "The Tao does nothing, but nothing is left undone."

Departure from Tao violates the original simplicity of the naturalness of being. Lao Tzu contrasted naturalness with an artificial human society. In his opinion, the labor activity of a person led him to a contradiction with the world, alienated him from nature. Inaction, the Taoist thinker put above action and preached the principle of "doing nothing" ("wu-wei") , following which always brings peace. People's commitment to knowledge and the creation of social institutions (families, states) interfere with the Tao and give rise to all sorts of misfortunes. Lao Tzu advocated a return to a golden age, when there was no arbitrary division into good and bad, since people lived in perfect harmony, did not interfere in the natural course of things, and did not know such concepts as good and evil.

The principle of "non-action" does not express passive inaction, but following the natural order of things, agreement with one's own inner nature and implies non-interference in the nature of everything that exists, refusal to remake, rebuild the world. This principle acts like water flowing over stones in its path. According to a prominent representative of Taoism Chuang Tzu(c. 369 - 286 BC), the wu-wei mind flows like water, reflects like a mirror, and repeats like an echo. The true way of human life is to fit into the world, and not to break the established order in it.

Thus, “non-action” aims at a sensitive, careful attitude to nature, which is especially important today, when violations of ecological cycles and balance in nature are obvious. Nature, according to Taoism, does not exist to be studied and remade, but to be experienced, to derive pleasure from communicating with it, to live in harmony with it.

Lao Tzu extended the wu-wei principle to the field of social phenomena, noting that when the government is active, people become unhappy. He considered such a ruler to be wise, who does not interfere in anything and allows everything to take its course, in a natural way. So "The best ruler is the one about whom the people know only that he exists."

In the natural unity of man with nature, the Taoists saw the guarantee of a serene and happy life. Solving the problem of how to live better, they developed the doctrine of zhi. Zhi (literally: "breath") is a special kind of energy that flows through each person. A person must free himself from everything that pollutes and weakens zhi, first of all, from vanity. The way in which one can experience zhi in oneself is through meditation, during which any thought of personal aspirations and emotions should be banished.

Some of the Taoists tried, completely immersed in contemplation, to achieve unity with the primitive forces of nature. Others preferred witchcraft and magic to meditation, as well as such elements of the yogi system as food restriction, physical and breathing exercises. Their goal was to achieve longevity and physical immortality. They conducted alchemical experiments on the invention of the elixir of life, were engaged in astrology and geomancy. As a result, the Taoists made a significant contribution to the development of science. Alchemy led to the invention of gunpowder, and geomancy led to the compass.

In the second half of the 11th century BC. troubled times came in China: the ruling Zhou dynasty (11th-3rd centuries BC) gradually degenerated, political changes followed one after another. During this period, the power of the military became important, and special attention was paid to the art of government. Many middle-class military men aspired to become government decision-makers in the courts of ancient Chinese princes. For 13 years, the "traveling officer" ("yu shi") was Confucius, who hoped to convince the rulers of the need to observe moral principles. But the ideas of Confucius were too moral to be accepted by the rulers of his time. Only a few centuries later they gained support from the rulers of the Han Dynasty. In the II century. BC. Confucianism became the official state ideology in China and played an exceptionally important role in Chinese culture and socio-political history.

Confucius (from Kung Fu Tzu, meaning "wise teacher Kung") is an ancient Chinese philosopher. Born in 551 BC. e. in an aristocratic but impoverished family. For a long time he worked in the royal book depository in Zhou, where, according to legend, he met and talked with Lao Tzu. Upon returning to his homeland, Lu opened his own school in the kingdom and became the first professional teacher in the history of China. So P v. BC. he was revered as the Great Sage. The main source of information about the teachings of Confucius are "Lun Yu" ("Judgments and Conversations"), which are records of his statements and conversations made by his students and followers. In 1957, in the hometown of the philosopher Qufu, where his distant relatives still live, annual celebrations resumed in his temple.

Confucius shared the traditional idea of ​​Heaven as the highest power that rules the world, and accepted the belief in the spirits of ancestors. He considered the society of his day to be inconsistent with what was destined by Heaven for all things. He idealized the past and advocated the restoration of communal-patriarchal relations in which people understood morality. It is through moral norms, and not by natural forces, as the Taoists argued, that, in his opinion, society should be governed. Following morality, the principles of duty were decisive for Confucius. Therefore, Confucian philosophy is primarily a doctrine of morality.

All issues, including those related to public administration, daily engaged in agricultural, commercial and financial affairs, were considered by Confucius from an ethical standpoint. The basis of his teaching was the idea of ​​an ideal society that would correspond to ancient patterns. He saw his task in the revival of the principles of society that existed in ancient times, because at that time perfectly wise rulers who owned Tao reigned on earth. By Tao, the philosopher understood the path of moral perfection and rule based on ethical standards.

Confucius urged to revere the ancestors, observe ancient customs and ceremonies, during which the emperor - the Son of Heaven - played the role of an intermediary between the infinity of the cosmos and the finiteness of earthly existence. In steady adherence to the customs of antiquity, Confucius saw a panacea for all troubles, and he considered himself the bearer of forgotten ancient wisdom.

In Confucianism, a whole system of complex rituals was developed for all occasions. How strictly the Confucians observed the established order is evidenced by the saying that has come down to us about Confucius: "If the mat is uneven, the Master will not sit on it."

In an ideal society, the principle of moral perfection should be harmoniously combined with activities aimed at streamlining the state. “If there is virtue in the heart,” said Confucius, “then there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, then there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, then there will be order in the country. If there is order in the country, then there will be peace on earth.”

Confucius developed the concept noble husband (jun-tzu). A noble husband, or ideal man, is one who knows how to combine disinterestedness and sensitivity in private life with courtesy in public life. In his desires, he is not greedy and, unlike "little man" thinks not about profit, but about duty. A person is not born noble, but becomes noble through the cultivation of the highest moral qualities.

A noble husband should have jen and follow li in his behavior. The concepts of jen and li are the most important in the philosophy of Confucianism. Ren (literally: "philanthropy") - this is a law that determines the ethical relationships of people, gives a setting for love for people. It is formulated as follows: "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others." Subsequently, this rule in the history of philosophy was expressed in various ways and was called "golden rule of morality". The manifestations of jen are justice, fidelity, sincerity, mercy, etc.

Lee(ceremonial, ceremonies) means ethical and ritual decency and is a wide range of rules governing the behavior of people in various life situations. Without "whether" social order and, consequently, the prosperity of the state is impossible. It is because of "li" that there are differences between the sovereign and subjects. A properly organized state, according to Confucius, consists of tops and bottoms: those who think and govern, and those who work and obey.

Confucius saw the main means of streamlining relations between members of society in the straightening (correction) of names, which was aimed at ensuring that everything in society remained unchanged. Names- these are the designations of the social, political and legal statuses of various persons in the hierarchical system of society and the state. Everyone must have a name corresponding to him, so that the sovereign is the sovereign, the dignitary is the dignitary, the father is the father, the son is the son, the subject is the subject. With all deviations from the norm, you should return to it. Thus, the meaning of Confucius's teachings about straightening names was that each person must correspond to his purpose, social status in the state hierarchy.

So, for each member of society, Confucius determined one or another place in the social hierarchy, in accordance with which it was necessary to act and conduct business. The criterion for dividing society into tops and bottoms should have been not noble origin and wealth, but abilities, virtues, knowledge and work. The philosopher was convinced that the economic prosperity and stability of both society and the individual depend to a large extent on hard daily work and on the strain of the abilities and efforts of every citizen.

Confucius considered the close-knit and well-organized family to be the basis of the state, and the state itself was understood by him as a big family. Therefore, a special place in his philosophy is occupied by the concept of xiao - filial respect, which determines the relationship between father and child, husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, older friend and younger friend, ruler and subjects. essence xiao consists in the assertion that blind obedience to the will, word, desire of the elder is an elementary norm for the younger ones within the family and subjects within the state.

According to Confucian teaching, any person in ancient China could count on social assistance and a minimum of social benefits, subject to strict observance of the ethical norms recognized in the state, maintaining order, honoring and obeying the authority of elders and subordination to rulers.

Confucianism shaped the way of life and social structure of the Chinese, and to this day it remains a living intellectual and spiritual tradition in China.

Test questions:

1. What are the features of ancient Indian philosophy?

2. What are the Vedas?

3. How do orthodox schools of ancient Indian philosophy differ from non-orthodox ones?

4. What are the main ideas of Vedanta?

5. What is the difference between Mimamsa and Vedanta?

6. What is the specificity of the Samkhya philosophical school?

7. How are the theory and practice of yoga related?

8. How does the philosophy of the Charvakas differ from the philosophy of all other ancient Indian philosophical schools?

9. What is "samsara", "karma", "nirvana" in the philosophy of Buddhism?

10. What is the content of the Four Noble Truths?

11. What are the characteristic features of ancient Chinese philosophy?

12. What is "Tao" in ancient Chinese philosophy?

13. What is the meaning of the Taoist principle of "non-doing"?

14. What is the essence of the philosophical teachings of Confucius?

15. What is the meaning of the Confucian straightening of names?

16. What is the xiao principle in Confucianism?

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Portal "Humanities Education" http://www.humanities.edu.ru/

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