The excerpts from The Analects that we read for class both reinforced my prior knowledge of Confucius and his teachings, as well as providing me with further knowledge regarding his teachings. Before we read these excerpts I was under the impression that Confucius only emphasized filial piety and education, but since reading these excerpts I know there is far more that Confucius stood for as well. Confucius not only spoke about the aspects of filial piety and education that he stood for the most, but he also spoke about the way that governments should be treating their people to make society the most equitable for everyone. For example, “The Master said: “If good men were to govern a country for a hundred years, they could overcome cruelty and do away with killing. How true this saying is!”. Confucius also writes, “The Master said: “If you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have no personal sense of shame. If you govern them by means of virtue and control them with propriety, they will gain their own sense of shame, and thus correct themselves.”. So, not only does Confucius care deeply about filial piety and education, he also cares a great deal about the way that governments treat their people and how they let societies function.
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