Confucianism and the Chinese View of Life Essay - 3835 Words

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.† – Confucius -- Confucianism created the Chinese view of life. The Confucian view is based on the ancient Chinese tradition. It can be stated that the view of Confucius and that of the Chinese began in the same place ( Bush, 15). In subsequent centuries Confucius’ teachings exerted a powerful influence on the Chinese nation. Therefore, the history that surrounds both Confucius as well as Confucianism is relevant to how many eastern†¦show more content†¦During the four years immediately after his marriage, poverty forced him to perform unskilled labors for the chief of the district in which he lived (Mungello 78). Then in 527 B.C., Confucius’ mother died. After a period of mourning he began his career as a teacher. He usually traveled and instructed the small body of disciples that gathered around him. His reputation as a man of learning and character and his reverence for Chinese ideals and customs soon spread through the principality of Lu ( Bush, 23). Confucius was a master teacher, who was concerned with thought and action that could be potentially bring order and harmony. Confucius was said to have attracted three thousand students, of who seventy-two of which were his closest disciples. Together they mastered the six rituals including music, archery, charioteering, literature, and mathematics (DeVous and Slote, 9). Living as he did in the second half of the Chou dynasty, Confucius deplored the contemporary disorder and lack of moral standards. He came to believe that the only remedy was to convert people once more to the principles and precepts of the sages of ancient times ( Bush, 18). Therefore, he lectured to his students on the ancient classics. He taught the great value of power of example. Confucius said that rulers could only be great if they themselves lead perfect lives. If they willing to be guided by moral principles, their states would inevitablyShow MoreRelatedConfucianism : A Great Chinese Thinker And Philosopher Who Lived During The Warring States1206 Words   |  5 PagesRainey 18 June 2015 Ancient China Confucianism Who was Confucius? Confucius was a great Chinese thinker and philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period from 551-479 BCE. He was born in 551 BC, in Zou, Lu state in a family that was in between common people and aristocrats. He never held a high-class job, only working as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk, and a book-keeper. His mother died when he was 23 and he then mourned for three years, an Ancient Chinese tradition. Lu state had a duke andRead MoreWorld Wide Yin and Yang1735 Words   |  7 PagesWorld Wide Yin and Yang The Chinese culture has a variety of religions and philosophies; behind each one there is a core of theories and principles formed by its founders. The aspects of the yin-yang principal are the basis of the three major Chinese religions: Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. In China, people are aware of the importance of believing in the yin and yang principles. The Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender states, the Chinese view yin and yang as opposites, where yin is dark andRead MoreChapter 2 study guide1090 Words   |  5 Pages China did not have as much influence in technology or culture from other civilizations. 2. What is the most ancient philosophy in China? The most ancient philosophy accepted in China is called Dao which was the appreciation of a balanced life without excess of anything. PATTERNS IN CLASSICAL CHINA 3. What kind of things would cause or signal a dynasties decline? Some things that would cause a dynasties decline would be something such as a invasion from enemy’s such as Mongol’s.Read MoreAp World Dbq 2004772 Words   |  4 Pagesdynasties preferred its philosophy and promise of afterlife to the rigid Confucian ideals that were previously imposed although the Chinese turned to Buddhism for it promises of eternal enlightenment during times of hardship and invasion, the period that followed led to many attempts to reconcile the religion with the traditional Confucianism, increasing many views that Buddhism was a barbaric foreign invasion. The period that followed the Han dynasty was known as the Warring States period, duringRead MoreConfucianism Of Han Chin Synthesis And Syncretion1581 Words   |  7 PagesINT 196J 14 November 2014 Confucianism in Han China – Synthesis and Syncretion Abstract: The American Oriental Society suggests that historians consider the fall of the Han Dynasty in negative perspective, viewing the fall of the Han Dynasty as â€Å"the failure of Confucian ethics.† After scrutinizing the available information, one is led to think otherwise. The studies of Confucian traditions are mostly approached by historical and philosophical views. Based on the Chinese dynastic histories of theRead More Chinese Shih Poetry And Philosophy Essay1118 Words   |  5 Pagesphilosophies of the ancient Chinese people, whether they explain nature or present ways to live a just life, became so complex that simple prose could not suitably express their meaning. Yet paradoxically, the simpler, less exact form of poetry does put forth the ideas. Nowhere is this more exemplified than in the literature pertaining to the two major schools of ancient Chinese thought; Taoism and Confucianism. Poets such as Tu Fu and Po Chà ¼-i expressed the ideas of Taoism and Confucianism , respectively, whileRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucianism And Buddhism1078 Words   |  5 PagesAlvarez REL 2300 6/22/2017 Confucianism and Buddhism People very commonly confuse the Chinese culture for being the birthplace of Buddhism. When you walk into an Asian owned business and see a large statue of a bald Asian man, people typically assume that it is a shrine to Buddah but this is incorrect, India was the original birth place to Buddha. Chinese culture founded the Shang Dynasty which from that came the two most popular religions in that region, Confucianism and Daoism. Today I willRead MoreConfucianism : Religion, Religions, Ideologies, And Philosophies1564 Words   |  7 Pagesthe course of history many beliefs, religions, ideologies and philosophies have risen and declined thorough out humanity. These religions have their origins, a set of beliefs, a follower-ship, religious or important texts, a spread of the religion, views on women, dietary habits, holidays and like any thing else it has critiques. These are all important aspect when talking about a religion. Religions describe societies and set moral standard of those people who choose to follow said religion. TheseRead MoreConfucianism And Its Influence On Chinese History1713 Words   |  7 Pagesfigure in the Chinese history. He was a teacher, a philosopher, and also the founder of Confucianism. Confucius’ philosophies, on the other hand, would became well known as Confucianism. Confucianism can be considered as an ancient Chinese philosophy as well as a popular religion in the Chinese history. It is known to be a way of life taught by Confucius. Although being transformed over a long period of time, Confucianism is still the source of values and the social code of the Chinese. It not onlyRead MoreThe Impact Confucius, Gandhi, and Western Ideas had on China, Japan, and India1525 Words   |  7 Pagesbenefiting from not trading with other countries. The beliefs that the China, Japan, and India placed in Gandhi and Confucian impacted the countries. Gandhi, Confucianism, and Western ideas impacted Japan, China and India religiously, culturally and economically. The Western ideas and influence throughout the 1500’s-1800’s impacted the Indian, Chinese and Japanese society economically and culturally. In 1543, the Portuguese arrived in Japan bringing with them guns, clocks, glasses, tobacco and Christianity

Deforestation Regulations Of The Tropics Essay - 2361 Words

Deforestation Regulations in the Tropics 48 football fields. Not monthly, not even daily. 48 football fields worth of tropical rainforest is cut down every single minute. This adds up to about 46-58 thousand square miles per year. 58 thousand square miles of the already narrow belt of tropical forests stretching around the equator. These are forests of amazing diversity and productivity. Forests that may cover only 7% of the land’s surface here on Earth, but harbor more than half of all species and play a massive part in maintaining the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and regulating our climate. Advocates for the preservation of these forests state that deforestation has devastating consequences including social conflict, extinction of plants and animals, and dangerous climate changes, and that local deforestation in these forests are causing damages that aren’t just local, but global. While opponents claim that tropical forests are destined to diminish as it is necessary for the growing human pop ulation to clear the natural landscape to make room for farms and pastures, to harvest timber for construction and fuel, to build roads and urban areas and to develop the economies of the often poor countries that surround the equator. Recent research has however repeatedly proven these statements wrong. Showing how the human population have no desperate need to cut down these forests, and that we are in fact more prone to make our own situation worse when we do.Show MoreRelatedGlobal Environmental Issue : Deforestation Essay1103 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal Environmental Issue: Deforestation Deforestation is a global environmental threat the planet is currently experiencing. Deforestation in tropical rainforests is especially problematic as they are home to a myriad of important plant and animal species. The rich biodiversity found in these environments are needed, as we rely heavily on the ecological services they provide for us. Forest exports, cattle ranching, and international corporations and agencies are a few factors and actors to thisRead MoreDeforestation Essay1175 Words   |  5 PagesOctober 2014 Detriment of Deforestation Image a planet without trees. This is a scary planet where the temperature is very hot and the air is very difficult to breathe. This planet will have nothing to protect people from the sun, nothing to slowdown the forces of the wind, and nothing to anchor topsoil from eroding in the rain. The conditions at this imaginary planet can become our reality on earth if we do not stop deforestation. There are many negative effects of deforestation. However, for the scopeRead MoreDeforestation Is Infrastructure Expansion ( Geist Lambin ) Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesThere are many causes/factors to deforestation, which are largely associated with direct human influence. The first proximate cause to deforestation is infrastructure expansion (Geist Lambin, 2002, p. 144). This refers to transportation (roads), private and public markets, rural and urban settlements, and private and public services (water lines, oil exploitation, etc†¦) (Geist Lambin, 2002, p. 144). The next cause is agricultural expansion, which includes, large or small-scale cultivations, shiftingRead MoreImpacts Of Anthropogenic Activities And Land Use Changes On Biodiversity Conservation1816 Words   |  8 Pagessevere threats to sustainability. Land use changes have transformed land cover to farmlands, grazing lands, human settlements and urban centers at the expense of natural vegetation particularly in West Africa. These changes are associated with deforestation, biodiversity loss and land degradation. The relationships between land use and biodiversity are fundamental to understanding the links between people and their environment The aim of this work is to provide a holistic view of the impacts of anthropogenicRead MoreIllegal Logging in the Philippines1618 Words   |  7 Pagesspecies is born unto trouble. On all sides of the world, we see violence, poverty, graft and corruption, pollution, deforestation, overpopulation, and so on, endlessly. We wonder what brought the world and the humankind into this deplorable condition. This prompted me to write this paper on one of the crucial environmental problem that we are facing: illegal logging. Forests in the tropics have a rich biodiversity. More than fifty percent of all the plants and animals in the world are to be found inRead MoreEssay on The Effects of Deforestation in Ecuador1118 Words   |  5 Pagestechnology has produced for the world, in industry and in everyday life. With more and more technological breakthroughs, there have been many positive ecological impacts, but the negative impacts are almost overwhelming. A Perfect example would be the deforestation of our rain forests. Ecuador is located on the equator in the tropical Andes of South America. Its territory includes four principal regions: the Amazon, the Andes, the Pacific Coast, and the Galapagos Islands; and is home to at least 14 indigenousRead MoreThe Environmental Problems Of Global Warming1486 Words   |  6 Pagesworld’s population increased from 1.65 billion to 6 billion and just now the worlds population stands at over seven billion. The rapid growth rate of the human population means that there are now many environmental problems such as pollution, deforestation, food and energy shortages, waste, water storage and climate change. These problems have meant that the world has had to adapt in order to accommodate the rapid increase of people and develop solutions to become more sustainable in order to adaptRead MorePalm Oil Growth And Sustainability1323 Words   |  6 Pagesforests.) Between 2006 and 2010, however, area doubled, and about 70 percent of all new palm plantations durin g this time were established by old growth clearing. This expansion into forested areas represented only about 1.3 percent of the total deforestation in Peru during the decade. Area continued to increase from 2010 through 2012 as the palm industry grew. Expansion has slowed since 2012 due to new land use requirements and the need to secure approval at both the provincial and national levelsRead MoreSave The Trees: Deforestation.1648 Words   |  7 PagesDeforestation is a serious problem today, and has been for a long time. It is one of the greatest threats to nature on Earth, if not the single greatest. It is one root cause of soil erosion, the root cause of global warming, and the greatest contributor to the endangerment and extinction of so many species throughout the world. To understand deforestation though, one must know exactly what it is first. Therefore, deforestation is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica Online as The cutting downRead MoreCattle Ranching in the Brazilian Amazon Essay2243 Words   |  9 PagesSummary This policy memo addresses the development and expansion of the cattle ranching industry in Brazil, which has contributed to the mass deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon in the last 40 years. It exposes the regional and global consequences to deforestation and provides strategies for the Brazilian government to sustainably manage cattle ranching industries while protecting the future of the Amazon. The rainforest ecosystem is an immense reserve of natural recourses that is far more valuable

Should Poetry Be Banished from Human Life Free Essays

The main aim of this paper is to decide whether we should banish poetry from the human world or not. In order to reach this decision we first have to get back to some of the legendary figures in literary criticism of all time such as Plato, Aristotle and Philip Sydney and see for our selves how they treated this issue and answered some important questions concerning literature. Literary Criticism is the branch of study concerned with defining, classifying and evaluating works of literature. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Poetry Be Banished from Human Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now It began almost simultaneously with creation. However, it was only with Plato that criticism became a vital force in the ancient world. Plato was born probably in 427 B. C. He was the first conscious literary critic who has put his ideas in a systematic way in his dialogues. In his Ion and Republic (precisely book X), he expressed his condemnation of poetry. Ironically, admirers of Plato are usually lovers of literary art. It is so because Plato wrote dramatic dialogues rather than didactic volumes and did so with rare literary skill. You would expect such a philosopher to place a high value on literary art, but Plato actually attacked it. He argued that it should be banned from the ideal society that he described in the Republic. Plato objected to poetry on three grounds: Educational, Philosophical and moral point of view. Plato’s objection to Poetry from the point of view of Education is emphasized when he condemns poetry as fostering evil habits and vices in children in â€Å"The Republic† Book II. Homer’s epics were part of studies. Heroes of epics were not examples of sound or ideal morality. They were lusty, cunning, and hungry for war. Even Gods were no better. This is clear in Plato’s Ion: If we mean our future guardians to regard the habit of quarrelling among themselves as of all things the basest, no word should be said to them of the wars in heaven, or of the plots and fighting of the gods against one another, for they are not true (11). Thus he objected on the ground that poetry does not cultivate good habits among children. Plato accuses poetry of telling lies to children. However, he has no objection to children being told untrue stories if they are edifying stories. He wanted to tell children that there never has been quarrelling between citizens. He says in The republic: If they would only believe us we would tell them that quarrelling is unholy, and that never up to this time has there been any quarrelling between citizens: this is what old men and old women should begin by telling children; and when they grow up, the poets also should be told to compose or them in a similar spirit. (11) Plato’s objections against poetry from a Philosophical point of view become clear in his attack on what he called mimesis (imitation). He explains that poetry does not offer reality but unreal imitations. However, Philosophy is concerned with truth. According to his theory of mimesis, arts deal with illusions far away from the truth. He said in book X of The Republic: â€Å"then the imitator, I said, is a long way off the truth†. 17) In his opinion, Philosophy is better than poetry because Philosophy deals with idea while poetry is twice removed from the original idea. He made his point clear when he compared the poet to the painter who imitated a bed that was designed by a carpenter and before that, was originally created by God. Plato was an idealist. He believed that Ideas alone are true and real and that the earthly things such as beauty and goodness are mere copies of the ideal beauty, goodness which exist in heaven or the world of Ideas. He said: Well, then, here are three beds: one existing in nature, which is made by God, as I think that we may say-for no one else can be the maker?.. And what shall we say of the carpenter-is not he also the maker of the bed? Yes. But would you call the painter a creator and maker? Certainly not. Yet if he is not the maker, what is he in relation to the bed? I think, he said, that we may fairly designate him as the imitator of that which the others make. Good, I said; then you call him who is third in the descent from nature an imitator? Certainly, he said. And the tragic poet is an imitator, and therefore, like all other imitators, he is thrice removed from the king and from the truth. (15, 16) Plato says that since the idea of the bed belongs to God; the maker and we can also consider the carpenter who built it a maker of a copy. However, the painter only imitated another copy which makes him thrice removed from reality. As a moralist, Plato disapproves of poetry because it is immoral, as a philosopher he disapproves of it because it is based in falsehood. He is of the view that philosophy is better than poetry because philosopher deals with idea / truth, whereas poet deals with what appears to him / illusion. This is very clear in The Republic, Book X, when he says: And what is the faculty in man to which imitation is addressed? What do you mean? I will explain: The body which is large when seen near, appears small when seen at a distance? True. And the same objects appear straight when looked at out of water, and crooked when in the water; and the concave becomes convex, owing to the illusion about colors to which the sight is liable. Thus every sort of confusion is revealed within us; and this is that weakness of the human mind on which the art of conjuring and of deceiving by the light and shadow and other ingenious devices imposes, having an effect upon us like magic, True. (19, 20) Thus, in his opinion, true reality consists of the ideas of things and objects in our world are reflections or imitations. Therefore, poetry is inferior to philosophy as the artist imitates these objects existing in our actual world and as a result, his work is an imitation of an imitation and is built on illusion. He believed that truth of philosophy was more important than the pleasure of poetry. He argued that most of it should be banned from the ideal society that he described in the Republic. One of Plato’s important theories is his theory of inspiration. In his Ion, he gives a psychological account of literary creation. He is interested in how men come to write poetry. He compares the state of the poet when he writes poetry to a state of madness or unconsciousness. He explains that the poet does not speak his words but is rather captured by inspiration or what he called ‘The power divine’. He says: For the poet is a light and winged and holy thing and there is no invention in him until he has been inspired, and is out of his senses, and the mind is no longer in him: when he has not attained to this state, he is powerless and is unable to utter his oracles. (9) Thus, he believes that poetry is nothing rational, and that is why even the poets themselves do not often understand what they write in that moment. Therefore, poetry cannot be relied upon as it is not the result of conscious. His last objection on the moral effect of poetry is that it harms by nourishing the passions, which ought to be controlled and disciplined. Plato thinks that it is the duty of the wise man to control passion by reason; poetry by exciting and strengthening the passions, makes this task more difficult. In Plato’s opinion, whatever encourages and strengthens the rational principle is good, and emotional is bad. In The Republic, Book X, Plato says: Then the imitative poet who aims at being popular is not by nature made, nor is his art intended, to please or to affect the rational principle in the soul; but he will prefer the passionate and fitful temper, which is easily imitated †¦. And therefore we shall be right in refusing to admit him into a well-ordered state, because he awakens and nourishes and strengthen the feelings and impairs the reason †¦ Poetry feeds and waters the passion instead of drying them up; she lets them rule, although they ought to be controlled, if mankind are ever to increase in happiness and virtue. (22) Then he attacks tragedies and comedies explaining their effect on both actors and spectators who might imitate their act. He believes that imitation soon becomes a second nature and the actor who imitates tends to behave like the object of his imitation. Tragedies give an uncontrolled expression to the emotions of pity and grief and thus play a woman’s part. In his The republic, Book X, he says: Hear and judge: The best of us as I conceive, when we listen to a passage of Homer, or one of the tragedians, in which he represents some pitiful hero who is drawling out his sorrows in a long oration, or weeping, and smiting his breast- the best of us, you know, delight in giving way to sympathy, and are in raptures at the excellence of the poet who stirs our feelings most. Yes, of course I know. But when any sorrow of our own happens to us, then you may observe that we pride ourselves on the opposite quality- we would fain be quiet and patient; this is the manly part, and the other which delighted us in the recitation is now deemed to be the part of a woman. Very true, he said. Now can we be right in praising and admiring another who is doing that which anyone of us would abominate and be ashamed of in his own person? No, he said, that is certainly not reasonable. (22, 23) Similarly, for example, one who imitates a female part in a comedy tends to grow effeminate. Imitation will make him cowardly or clownish, if such roles are imitated. In order to explain this in his The Republic, Book X, Plato said: And does not the same hold also of the ridiculous? There are jests which you would be ashamed to make yourself, and yet on the comic stage, or indeed in private, when you hear them, you are greatly amused by them, and are not at all disgusted at their unseemliness; the case of pity is repeated; there is a principle in human nature which is disposed to raise a laugh, and this which you restrained by reason, because you were afraid of being thought a buffoon, is now let out again; and having stimulated the risible faculty at the theatre, you are betrayed unconsciously to yourself into playing the comic poet at home. 23, 24) For all of the above reasons, Plato insisted that all kinds of poetry should be banned from his ideal state that he created in his The Republic. In this respect, Plato says: Therefore, Glaucon, I said, whenever you meet with any of the eulogists of Homer declaring that he has been the educator of Hellas, and that he is profitable for education and for ordering of human things, and that you should take him up again and again and get to know him and regulate your whole life according to him, we may love and honour those who say things-they are excellent people, as far as their light extend; and we are ready to acknowledge that Homer is the greatest of poets and first of tragedy writers; but we must remain firm in our conviction that hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our state. For if you go beyond this and allow the honeyed muse to enter, either in epic or lyric verse, not law and the reason of mankind, which by common consent have ever been deemed best,but pleasure and pain will be the rulers in our state. (24) However, Plato decided to play fair with lovers of poetry. That’s why he granted a chance to all poets and defenders of poetry to be a part of his ideal state and to be allowed to return from exile, only if they made a fine literary work that proves that poetry does not just delight but is also useful to human life. Plato says: Shall I propose, then, that she be allowed to return from exile, but upon this condition only that she make a defence of herself in lyrical or some other metre? Certainly. And we may further grant to those of her defenders who are lovers of poetry and yet not poets the permission to speak in prose on her behalf: let them show not only that she is pleasant but also useful to states and to human life, and we will listen in a kindly spirit; for if this can be proved we shall surely be the gainers I mean, if there is a use in poetry as well as a delight? Certainly, he said, we shall be the gainers. (25) Those are Plato’s principal charges on poetry and objection to it. Before we pass on any judgment, we should not forget to keep in view the contemporary social conditions in which he lived. It was a time of political decline. Education was in a sorry state. The epics of Homer were part of studies and Homer’s epics were misrepresented and misinterpreted. However, they were venerated by the Greeks almost like The Bible. In them, there are many stories which represent the gods in an unfavorable light. So they were the common objects of criticism on the part of philosophers and educationists. The wonderful flowering time of Greek art and literature was over. Literature was immoral, corrupt and degenerate. Women were regarded inferior human beings and slavery was wide spread. Confusion prevailed in all spheres of life intellectual, moral, political and educational. There was a constant debate between the philosophers and poets. Thus, in Plato’s time, poets added fuel to the fire. He looked at poets as breeders of falsehood and poetry as mother of lies. Ironically it was Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, who was the first theorist to defend literature and poetry in his writing Poetics against Plato’s objections and his theory of mimesis. Aristotle was born in 384. B. C. For centuries during Roman age in Europe and after renaissance, Aristotle was honored as a law-giver and legislator. Even today his critical theories remain largely relevant, and for this he certainly deserves our admiration and esteem. In Poetics, his main concern appears to be tragedy, which in his day was considered to be the most developed form of poetry. Another part of poetics deals with comedy, but it is unfortunately lost. In his observations on the nature and function of poetry, he has replied the charges of Plato against poetry. How to cite Should Poetry Be Banished from Human Life, Papers