Summary Achievements of Confucian Philosophy

I. Balanced form of Humanism

(For more detail see the next diagram)

II.     The Cosmic Triad of Heaven, Earth, and human beings. They are equiprimordial (i.e., not being originated by the other) and each has its own integrity and duties to perform.

III. Evil is not an agent nor a thing (body/matter). It is a lack of balance and harmony Yin and Yang. This idea does not appear in any explicit until several hundred years after Confucius.

Under a system of dualism or dichotomy, Yin could divorce Yang and stay away forever, but under Chinese polarity Yin must come back as a necessary partner and complement to Yang.  The Yang represents Heaven and its qualities are high, masculine, positive, light, hard, and even numbers. Yin represents Earth and its qualities are low, feminine, negative, darkness, soft, and odd numbers.

IV. Relational, social self. No concept of autonomy

V. Reason is not essence of human nature.

Ren (jen) is Ren* (jen), where ren* is the virtue of humanity or compassion

Lit. To be human is to be two people

Martin Buber’s Mitmenschlichkeit ("with-people-ness")

I-Thou philosophy

VI. Process and organic view of nature

(no mechanism; no physical or social atomism)

VII. Religion and Philosophy are fused. Herbert Fingarette: The Secular as Sacred

VIII. Theory and practice are also fused.  See Analects 17:14