Confucius and Confucianism

Confucius gave to Chinese civilization a grand ideal for the ordering of society. The insecurity of the age spawned many (if not quite a hundred) competing philosophical systems, each claiming to have the cure for the ills of the time. Confucius was the founder of one of those schools, certainly one that was destined to become especially famous and influential over time. The cultural history of a society proceeds slowly and seamlessly from the very simple to the highly complex. The people of Shang were conscious of their own identity and distinguished their own small world from the surrounding sea of “lesser” peoples. The ancient religious beliefs and practices were retained in Zhou, but evolved toward a somewhat more humanistic outlook. Undoubtedly, Confucius had a brilliant mind and also a winning personality. Confucius would not return to his home district of Lu for twelve long years.