Confucianism in the Modern World

Confucianism is a system of social philosophies built on the values of traditional Chinese society. It was founded by Master Kong (Confucius) in an attempt to revive and improve the flawed religious structure that was prevalent during the Zhou Dynasty.

It is a risk to declare that Confucianism is a religion; it is more widely accepted as a social or philosophical system in today’s society. However, many argue that Confucianism is a religion with a unique structure. Rather than accepting a specific deity or having a place of worship, God and religion are present in the arena of daily life: schools, authoritative figures, family, and the government. For this reason, Chinese sociologists call it a “diffused religion.”

Confucianists were less interested in God and heaven, and more interested in the “ideal” life and social structure on Earth. As per the founder’s wishes, rituals in Confucianism are based on accepted standards of social behavior. The ruler of a Confucian society was expected to be the “father” of the people, looking for the advancement of society as a whole and being sure to not alienate any individuals from societal betterment.

Confucianism is also based on the idea that in every relationship, an individual has a specific role and obligation. There are 5 cardinal relationships:

• parent-child
• ruler-subject
• husband-wife
• elder sibling-younger sibling
• friend-friend

This structure integrated into Chinese culture breeds collectivism, which is essential to teamwork and networking practices in the business world.

Core Virtues

Confucianism teaches a set of core values:

• Li – social rituals
• Ren – humaneness: kindness and peaceful coexistence
• Yi – righteousness
• Zhi – knowledge
• Xin – integrity
• Xiao – filial piety
• Zhong – loyalty
• Jie – contingency
• Yi – justice

The ultimate goal of Confucianism is to achieve the state of junzi, or “the lord’s son.” The idea of deep reverence for any superior or authoritative figure instills loyalty and responsibility in an individual—these characteristics, like many others preached by Confucianism, have a positive impact on work ethic.

The Confucian Curriculum

Since the Han Dynasty, the Four Books and Five Classics have been the foundation of Confucian philosophy:

Four Books:

• The Book of Rites (also given as The Book of Great Learning)
• The Doctrine of the Mean
• The Analects of Confucius
• The Works of Mencius

Five Classics (written in the Zhou Dynasty and later revised):

• The I-Ching
• The Classics of Poetry
• The Classics of Rites
• The Classics of History
• The Spring and Autumn Annals

Confucius opened multiple schools of thought (known as the “100 Schools of Thought”) to spread his doctrines. These also fostered participation in other philosophies and religions, such as Taoism, Mohism, and Buddhism.

Education and Social Order

Confucianism was rooted in the idea of filial piety, or demonstrating love and respect for one’s parents and ancestors over all else. Confucius believed that if a young man prioritized filial piety, all other social standards would naturally fall into place. Through these widespread guiding virtues, the people would collectively exist in harmony and govern themselves—this philosophy answered questions of political instability that were prevalent during the Warring States period.

Confucius believed that learning allowed one to integrate themselves into their community. He valued reflection as much as he valued learning. He strongly believed in assessing one’s own capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and constantly seeking to improve. These ideals boost cognitive and social development.

Confucius discouraged memorization and encouraged critical thinking processes such as analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, summarizing, and synthesizing—values that are essential to economic and societal development. He promoted an “elicitation” approach to teaching, which encourages independent study.

It is also believed that Confucius’s value of education for all influenced the Chinese policy that allows six free years of primary education and three free years of secondary education.

Criticisms

One criticism of Confucianism is that it placed heavy importance on moral teachings, often leading to the negligence of technical skills and scientific knowledge.

Confucianism in the Modern World

Many believe Confucianism is making a “comeback.” Society attributes both openness and reform to Confucianism, while also blaming the philosophy for intensely communist policies.

According to the East Asian Social Survey (2018–2019), 88% of Chinese adults believe that children must make efforts to bring honor to their parents. The social well-being and organizational structure provided by Confucian ideals promoted economic development as well. Many experts attribute East Asian economic success to Confucian values.

Confucianism is a significant constituent of Chinese socialist tendencies. According to Polish sinologist Professor Bogdan Góralczyk, during the reign of Jiang Zemin (1998–2002), China began to open up to globalization and expand into world markets. As China departed from internal communist reforms, it began to look for its place in the world—leaning on Confucianism for cultural grounding.

Confucianism constantly reinforces the idea of submitting to hierarchy and respecting authoritative figures. This made all social classes oriented to the same goal: serving their ruler—an idea that aligns with the core values of socialism, and has had a great impact on the economies of many East Asian countries.

References

Bahtilla, Marinette, and Hui Xu. “The Influence of Confucius’s Educational Thoughts on China’s Educational System.” Open Access Library Journal, vol. 08, no. 05, 2021, pp. 1–17, www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=109439, https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107370.

Berling, Judith. “Confucianism.” Asia Society, 2018, asiasociety.org/education/confucianism.

Cohen, Paula Marantz. “Confucianism in China Today - the American Scholar.” The American Scholar, 8 July 2015, theamericanscholar.org/confucianism-in-china-today/.

Mark, Joshua. “Confucianism.” World History Encyclopedia, World History Publishing, 7 July 2020, www.worldhistory.org/Confucianism/.

Masilamani, Dr Logan. “11.3 Confucianism Today and the Future of the Ideology.” Kpu.pressbooks.pub, 18 Aug. 2021, kpu.pressbooks.pub/political-ideologies/chapter/11-3-confucianism-today-and-the-future-of-the-ideology/.

Szczotka, Patryk. “Influence of Confucianism on the Chinese Political System: A Case of Social Credit System and Socialist Core Values.” Institute of New Europe, 24 Oct. 2022, ine.org.pl/en/influence-of-confucianism-on-the-chinese-political-system-a-case-of-social-credit-system-and-socialist-core-values/.

Tong, Yunping. “5 Facts about Confucianism.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 23 Sept. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/23/5-facts-about-confucianism/.