Back to the Classics #12

I read this book for the reading challenge Back to the Classics 2022.

Classic by Person of Color. I read the 1861 translation by James Legge, an eminent missionary and brilliant scholar whom I respect. The traditional Chinese characters are beautiful to behold in the Dover facsimile, though I can understand only about 10% of them. As a non-expert reader, I recommend Legge’s prolegomena and exegetical notes as safe and effective soporifics for the wakeful.

Analects - Confucius (ca. 500 BCE)

This chronicle records not only what Confucius said in talks but also the content of conversations between him and his followers. Prior knowledge of Confucius' cultural background in terms of history and ethnography will help comprehension of the sage’s sayings and short dialogues. The chapters of the books are pithy; crucial terms are not defined, concepts not explicated but I think the pedagogical assumption of the teacher is that the reader is supposed to reflect and discuss with fellow students to grasp the meaning:

CHAP. VII. 1. Tsze-kung asked about government. The Master said, 'The requisites of government are that there be sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military equipment, and the confidence of the people in their ruler.' 2. Tsze-kung said, 'If it cannot be helped, and one of these must be dispensed with, which of the three should be foregone first?' 'The military equipment,' said the Master. 3. Tsze-kung again asked, 'If it cannot be helped, and one of the remaining two must be dispensed with, which of them should be foregone?' The Master answered, 'Part with the food. From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state.' 

CHAP. VIII. 1. Chi Tsze-ch'ang said, 'In a superior man it is only the substantial qualities which are wanted;— why should we seek for ornamental accomplishments?'

Basically, Confucius is a teacher who attaches great importance to moral cultivation, so he always talks about “benevolence,” putting “virtue” into action, and the proper behavior of “a superior man.”

“The Master said, ‘If you guide the people with ordinances and statutes and keep them in line with [threats of] punishment, they will try to stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. If you guide them with exemplary virtue and keep them in line with the practices of the rites, they will have a sense of shame and will know to reform themselves.’”

He highly respected the rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the earlier Yao and Shun eras, and felt that they were role models for social and political organization. He therefore recommends poetry, rituals, and music handed down from the Zhou Dynasty be conserved and observed. I don't quite understand this part. Kaput by 772 BCE, the Western Zhou Dynasty not surviving doesn’t support the idea that they’d be paragons of ideal government.  Plus, I’m not even sure about what “rituals” entail nor am I clear about what tunes of the Western Zhou sounded like (is anybody?).

One thing I, a toiler in a large state bureaucracy, admire about Confucius is that he was willing to assist the monarch who was willing to hire him. Confucius was a model administrator. Some asides indicate that Confucius was so sure his ideas about governance could be effective that he regretted the unwisdom of leaders in not hiring him or not giving him enough time of the task to make a difference.

Confucius knows that only a few in leadership positions want to understand that virtue, kindness or benevolence must be promoted to take the edge off more austere aspects of Confucianism (no deity, rank and age trump egalitarianism, etc.). Still, he endures in saying what he does, doing what he does. Even if one’s actions and ideas are unappreciated or in time undone or unavailing, working constantly and with dedication to make the world better is the right thing to do. So give it your all because it's worth it, then retire from public life. You’ve done your part, now get out of the way for young ones to take a shot.

But given our career path doesn't include being an official in an imperial bureaucracy, does Confucius give any advice for leading a flourishing life, being a good parent, sibling, neighbor, and friend? Confucius emphasizes the effects of personal choices on becoming virtuous and building character. For Confucius, our choices and actions in the world always, to a greater and lesser degree, carry with them a moral aspect (do no harm, respect people, be fair and moderate, etc.) because our actions have effects on the people around us. Besides, from familiar exhortations on respect for family, hard work, and harmony, we get his version of the Golden Rule.

CHAP. XXIII. Tsze-kung asked, saying, 'Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?' The Master said, 'Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.'

To my mind, the suggestions for leading a flourishing, altruistic life are rather loose, open to wide interpretation. Because the concepts are not defined, I hesitate to call this ‘philosophy’ though I would never pose as one who knows anything about philosophy. Who would I urge to read it? Readers into traditional China, sacred writings, and ethical modes of thought.