Confucius  Biographical Profile

Confucius was said to live between September 28, 551 BC and 479 BC.  He is considered perhaps the most famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher in all of Chinese history, and his lessons have had a dramatic impact on the very foundation of Chinese culture, as well as the cultures of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  This impact can not only be seen in the philosophies espoused by each culture, but also the daily lives and practices of their people.

The great teachings of Confucius are all about morality; both governmental and personal.  It also instructs about social relationships, the power of justice, and the necessity for sincerity.  All of these lessons have had a profound effect on the Legalism or Taoism of Chinese Culture.  The Han Dynasty in particular followed Confucius to the letter, and it was then that what we know today as “Confucianism” was formed.  This was around the time of 206 BC to 220 AD.  Jesuit Matteo Ricci introduced Confucianism to Europe, and it was then that the Chinese name was Latinized into Confucius. 

The greatest book of his teachings and lessons is the Analects of Confucius, where the “brief aphoristic fragments” of his principles were compiled years after his death.  Although historians believe these are close to the original teachings of Confucius, they still have no evidence that any specific documents were written by Confucius.   For almost 2,000 years in fact, everyone believed that Confucius was the author of the Five Classics, but that theory is now disputed by historians.

Like many religious and powerful social figures of his stature, Confucius classified himself as a "transmitter who invented nothing".   He put a very strong emphasis on the need for each person to study and learn.  The reason that he is known in China as the Greatest Master is due to this emphasis on each human learning and thinking for themselves by observing the outside world.  In that sense, Confucianism is without a formal systematic theory of life.  He emphasized study of the events of the past to learn their moral lessons, and carry those lessons into modern life.   

Confucius lived in a time of great chaos, war, and struggle. With Feudal states fighting for supremacy and nothing being certain, Confucius advocated to restore the Mandate of Heaven to unify all people.  His emphasis on personal and social perfection was harkening back to the older society in China.   In that sense, Confucius was always seen as being quite conservative in his nature and the beliefs that he practiced and taught the people.