Confucius & 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 contents

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.

About the author

Craig Rainey (1962 - ) is an American film actor, author, screenwriter, and musician. He was born in San Angelo, Texas and lives in Austin. His Texas roots hail back to the original Impresario settlers of Coahuila y Tejas under Stephen F. Austin. He is a military veteran, sales trainer and motivational speaker, and he cowboyed professionally in south Texas. His fiction novels include Massacre at Agua Caliente, Stolen Valor, a Carson Brand Novel, and Dark Motive, A Carson Brand Novel. His non-fiction sales training book, The Art of Professional Sales, Handbook for the Career Seller, was released October 2020. As a screenwriter, his scripts have won numerous awards at film festivals including: Best Narrative Period Piece, Most Likely to be Produced as a Movie, and was Official Selection for many more. Craig Rainey won Best Breakout Writer for the script Massacre at Agua Caliente.

Summary

This comprehensive introduction explores the life, teachings, anddevelopment of Confucian thought from ancient times to the presentday. Drawing on the latest research and incorporating changinginterpretations of Confucius and his works by Chinese and Westernscholars, the text seamlessly links Confucius with our modern age.

Product details

• Authors: Rainey, LD Rainey, Lee Dian Rainey, Lee Dian (Memorial University of Newfoundl Rainey, Lee Dian (Memorial University of Newfoundland Rainey, Rainey Lee Dian
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 17.05.2010
• EAN: 9781405188418
• ISBN: 978-1-4051-8841-8
• No. of pages: 262
• Dimensions: 165 mm x 241 mm x 25 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; China, PHILOSOPHY / Eastern, RELIGION / Confucianism, East Asian and Indian philosophy, Oriental & Indian philosophy, Confucianism