Comprehension Practice
The civilization of China - as everyone knows, is based upon the teaching of Confucius who flourished five hundred years before Christ. Like the Greeks and Romans, he did not think of human society as naturally progressive; on the contrary, he believed that in remote antiquity rulers had been wise and the people had been happy to a degree which the degenerate present could admire but hardly achieve. This, of course, was a delusion. But the practical result was the Confucius, like other teachers of antiquity, aimed at creating a stable society, maintaining a certain level of excellence, but not always striving after new successes. In this he was more successful than any other man who ever lived. His personality has been stamped on Chinese Civilization from his day to our own. During his life time, the Chinese occupied only a small part of present day China, and were divided into a number of warring states. During the next three hundred years they established themselves throughout what is now China proper, and founded an empire exceeding in territory and population any other that existed until the last fifty years. In spite of barbarian invasions, and occasional longer or shorter periods of Chaos and Civil War, the Confucian system survived bringing with it art and literature and a civilized way of life. A system which has had this extra ordinary power of survival must have great merits, and certainly deserves our respect and consideration. It is not a religion, as we understand the word, because it is not associated with the super natural or with mystical beliefs. It is purely ethical system, but its ethics, unlike those of Christianity, are not too exalted for ordinary men to practice. In essence what Confucius teaches is something is very like the old-fashioned ideal of a āgentlemanā as it existed in the eighteenth century. One of his sayings will illustrate this: āThe true gentleman is never contentiousā¦ā¦ā¦he courteously salutes his opponents before taking up his position, so that even when competing he remains a true gentlemanā.
Questions & Answers
1. Why do you think the author calls Confuciusā belief about the progress of human society as a delusion?
The author calls Confuciusā belief a delusion because Confucius believed that human society was not naturally progressive; rather, he believed that in remote antiquity rulers had been wise and the people had been happy to a degree the degenerate present could hardly achieve.
2. How did Confuciusā thought affect China to develop into a stable and āProperā China?
Confucius aimed at creating a stable society, maintaining a certain level of excellence. His system survived for centuries, and during the three hundred years after his death, the Chinese established themselves throughout what is now China proper, founding an empire and bringing with them art and literature and a civilized way of life.
3. Why does the author think that Confucian system deserves respect and admiration?
The author thinks the Confucian system deserves respect and consideration because it has had this extraordinary power of survival in spite of barbarian invasions, chaos, and civil war.
4. Why does the author call Confucian system a purely ethical system and not a religion?
The author calls it a purely ethical system because it is not associated with the super natural or with mystical beliefs.
5. Briefly argue whether you agree or disagree to Confuciusā ideal of a gentleman.
The sources do not contain information required to support an argument for agreement or disagreement with Confuciusā ideal of a gentleman, as this requires subjective analysis.