Chinese Philosophy-1: Confucius

Introduction to the Philosophy of Confucius

What you’ll learn
Understand the historical background behind the philosophy of Confucius
Understand the essential concepts of Confucianism
Understand the place of Confucius’ ethics in Western philosophy framework
Understand Confucius’ political philosophy
Requirements
No requirements
Suitable for beginners
Description
If you‘re interested in Chinese culture, Chinese philosophy, and Confucius but don’t know where to start, this course is for you! It is based on the reliable Chinese classic: The Analects. It provides a clear and brief introduction in a very systematically structured way to the philosophy of Confucius.Learning about Confucius is one of the best places to start learning Chinese philosophy. He is a crucial figure in Chinese Philosophy, like Socrates in Ancient Greek philosophy.Confucius lived around the 5th century BCE, the Spring and Autumn period in China. During this period, there were many social and political problems. Confucius, having experienced the wars and social turmoil, thus, sought a way out. In his words recorded in The Analects, Confucius basically tries to answer two questions: “How should a person live?” and “How should we live as a society or country?”In the first part of the course, I provide some essential introductory explanations. In the second part, I explain the historical background in which Confucius lived. So, you will be able to understand the relationship between Confucius’ sayings and that period’s political and social circumstances. In the third part, I examine Confucius’ views on morality and politics through his sayings.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 1.1 What is the reliable source to study Confucius’ philosophy?

Lecture 2 1.2 When did Confucius live?

Lecture 3 1.3 Course’ structure and why we study Chinese philosophy

Section 2: 2 Historical Background: PreQin Period

Lecture 4 2.1 Are ancient stories reliable?

Lecture 5 2.2 The story of Three sage kings

Lecture 6 2.3 Three dynasties

Lecture 7 2.4 Western Zhou Dynasty

Lecture 8 2.5 Eastern Zhou Dynasty

Lecture 9 2.6 Hundred School of Thoughts

Section 3: 3 Confucius

Lecture 10 3.1 Confucius Biography

Lecture 11 3.2 The Analects of Confucius

Lecture 12 3.3 The Origin of Confucius’ Philosophy

Lecture 13 3.4 Why does Confucius follow Zhou Dynasty?

Lecture 14 3.5 Confucianist Ethics as Virtue Ethics

Lecture 15 3.6 The ideal person and morality-based categories

Lecture 16 3.7 Self-cultivation

Lecture 17 3.8 Virtues in the Analects-1: Zhong and Shu

Lecture 18 3.9 Virtues in the Analects-2: Ren

Lecture 19 3.10 Virtues in the Analects-3: Li and Xiao

Lecture 20 3.11 Confucius’ Political Philosophy-1: Purpose of the State

Lecture 21 3.12 Confucius’ Political Philosophy-2: Ideal system

Lecture 22 3.13 Confucius’ Political Philosophy-3: Ideal Ruler

Section 4: Conclusion

Lecture 23 4 Conclusion: Confucius, His Legacy and Modern World

Whoever curious about Confucius and Chinese philosophy