Verified Document

China And Confucianism Society Essay

Related Topics:

Equal Society, Kim and Kim talk about the basis of Confucian values, ethics, and society and suggest that the world would benefit from adopting more Confucian worldview. The book is divided into five main chapters plus a "bonus chapter," which is more like an appendix in that it provides some of the key points about Confucianism in general for readers who are unfamiliar with the basics. For example the "bonus chapter" talks about the three main elements of Confucianism, which are Confucianism as a religion, Confucianism as a philosophy, and Confucianism as legalism. The first chapter of the book focuses on the philosophy of Confucianism and how it might be applied outside of Asia to the Western world and especially to the United States. For example, the authors talk about President Johnson's concept of a "Great Society," as well as the Civil Rights Act to show that these are essentially based on Confucian ideals. The authors even point out the connections between Johnson's "Great Society" and the concept of "datong," which is the "Great Equal Society" that gives the book its title.

The second chapter focuses on Confucianism and government, discussing issues like the failure of democracy to create an ideal society and also discussing the case study of Singapore, which fuses some of the elements of Western democracy with Confucianism. The third chapter applies Confucianism to the economy and especially talks about how ethics can be fused with a market economy, which is what the authors claim is what China needs to do and can do. Chapter Four talks about the importance of education in a Confucian society, and Chapter Five is where the authors relay their main argument about how China can become a world leader if they can refine the "China model" to one that is applicable throughout the world.

Critique

The Great Equal Society offers some interesting...

These views can easily be applied to corporate ethics as well as political ethics. It is uncertain whether it is possible to actually apply the principles of The Great Equal Society to political action, foreign and domestic policy, or business activity. Much of what the authors discuss in The Great Equal Society makes sense. After all, they offer detailed case studies and discuss their principles by backing them up with facts. One of the great achievements of this book is how the authors are able to show readers that the Western values of democracy are not actually that far off from Confucian values. There are indeed many misconceptions about Asian societies in the West, and the authors do a good job trying to dispel some myths. Another way this book is helpful is by showing that it is not necessarily a big government that is the solution. Confucian values can become embedded in business, and given the importance of good leadership and corporate social responsibility, having good governance in the business world is as important if not even more important than good government in the traditional political sense.
Some readers might find that the authors are almost too laudatory about Confucianism and the potential of China to be a world leader, but it is important to remember that the failures of Confucianism are frankly discussed in the "bonus chapter," and also that it helps to reframe global ethics, politics, and economics so that Western models are no longer hegemonic but simply one way of looking at things. The Confucian model offers an alternative way of looking at political, economic, and social realities. Given the genuine failure of the United States to offer any new meaningful direction for the world, especially with regards to global peace and income parity, the responsibility for widespread…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Confucianism and Women
Words: 358 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

Confucianism's Impact Upon The Status Of Women In China Confucianism was not an openly misogynistic or anti-woman system of thought. It did not post women as 'the devil's gateway' as did some philosophical strains of Early Christianity, for instance. However, Confucianism was a patriarchal system of ancestor worship that emphasized respect of one's past progenitors and how things used to be, rather than attempting to creatively change the future. Thus change

China: An Amazing Culture Society
Words: 2555 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

The holistic theory of health, "Therefore... looks for the signs of disharmony in the external and internal environment of a person in order to understand, treat and prevent illness and disease." (Traditional Chinese Medicine: NHS) It is also important to note that the Chinese medical theory is closely linked to their ways of thinking or philosophy. This includes the theory of complementary opposites such Yin-yang, the Five Elements, the human

Confucianism in East Asian Cultures
Words: 2254 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Confucianism in East Asian Cultures Confucianism is often characterized as a system that involves social and ethical philosophy as opposed to being purely a religion in the traditional definition of religion. As a matter of fact Confucianism is based on ancient religious foundations for the establishment of institutions, social values, and transcendent ideas of traditional societies. The paper is a critique of Confucian legacies in East Asian modernities, knowledge as well

China Under Communism, Confucian Values, Considered Vestiges
Words: 3070 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

China Under Communism, Confucian values, considered vestiges of the old feudal system, were supposed to have been completely swept away. Judging from what you have read from the readings, do you believe Confucianism completely disappeared after 1949? Confucianism is the philosophical and ethical system of belief based upon the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. The core belief of Confucianism was humanism which is the belief that human beings can change, adapt,

Confucianism Neo-Confucianism
Words: 859 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism Confucianism in Chinese Society Ju Dou is one of the films that depict the culture of the Chinese society from ancient to modern times. A highly comprehensible film, Ju Dou is powerful in teaching the traditional values of the Chinese culture to international viewers. China, historically, is a nation of philosophy in which the teachings and values of Confucius is one of the conventional and adhered ideas in way of

Confucianism: Leadership, Happiness and Independence
Words: 4255 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

This method of presentation attracted several immediate attacks from enemies within the church even before a reaction from the Chinese. Sometime after 1610, one critic, Father Longobardo, said that even with all the references to that of a supreme deity, the Chinese had never differentiated the moral regularities of society and the physical regularities which were that of the material universe. The Chinese had also never understood or accepted any

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now