Philosophies of Plato & Confucius

Gerald Clark, in his work Impatient Giant: Red China Today, notes the impact of Confucianism on modern-day China, and in doing so brings out important elements of the philosophy of Confucius in terms of his beliefs about the role of the individual in the world, in society, and in the family: "Confucius, the famous sage of twenty-five hundred years ago, taught that political order, the order of national life, began with the regulation of family life, with the emphasis on 'filial piety,' the respect and obedience of children for parents. After this could come respect for authorities of the state" (Clark, 1959, pp. 101-102).

The question is whether Confucius' ideas had as great an impact in his time as some historians believe. As Clark goes on to say, "Many historians argue that Confucianism as such, a code of ethics and a ritual of social order, never played much of a part among the vast masses of peasants. Its influence was mainly among the mandarin or ruling class, and among intellectuals, and this influence was eliminated long before th

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rnative was deliberate tradition. When tradition can no longer hold its own in the face of the eroding wash of critical self-consciousness, shore it up by giving it deliberate attention and reinforcement" (Smith, 1965, p. 156). The concept of "Jen" was at the root of this Confucian call to deliberate tradition. Jen is the force which holds the individual in the social fabric: "Jen involves simultaneously a feeling of humanity toward others and respect for oneself, an indivisible sense of the dignity of human life wherever it appears. Subsidiary attitudes follow automatically; magnanimity, good faith, and charity . . ." (Smith, 1965, p. 159). At the heart of Confucius' teaching, however, is filial piety, as Smith notes in his estimation of Confucius' historical impact: "The real testament to Confucius' influence . . . is the character of the civilization he so largely molded . . . Nowhere has family solidarity been greater. A single family may embrace eight generations, including brothers, uncles, great-uncles, sons, nephews and nephews' sons . . ." (Smith, 1965, pp. 170-171). The first similarity between Plato and Confucius is that both placed great importance on the cohesion of society. Whatever the differences betwe
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Approximate Word count = 2131
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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