In his 19th-century classic, The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,
German sociologist Max Weber argued that Asian
values were incompatible with the development of a
modern economic system. He saw in the brand of
Christianity practiced in northern Europe the only
ethical system with the attributes needed to make
capitalism work.
At the beginning of the
20th century, many Asian intellectuals might have
agreed with him. Commenting on Confucianism, the
Chinese leftist thinker, Chen Duxiu, said in 1916,
"If we want to build a new society on the Western
model in order to survive in
the
world, we must courageously throw away that which
is incompatible with the new belief, the new
society, the new state."
History, of
course, has proved Weber and Chen wrong. It is now
plain that the most dynamic practitioners of
capitalism at the dawn of the 21st century are to
be found in Asia. More strikingly, all of them are
located within what might be called a Confucian
cultural zone.
It is clear the success of
Japan and the "Four Tigers" (Korea, Taiwan, Hong
Kong and Singapore) owe much to such essential
Confucian precepts as self-discipline, social
harmony, strong families and a reverence for
education. That has led to unprecedented - and
increasingly broad-based international interest in
the creed. Yet the Confucian renaissance may only
be in its early phases.
For most of the
last century, Confucius (or Kongfuzi - Master
Kong) has been under a cloud in his homeland.
Everyone from late Qing dynasty reformers to
revolutionary communists blamed his teaching for a
host of ills, ranging from feudal oppression to
economic backwardness. But recently, Beijing's
leaders have begun to characterize the sage's
philosophy as a national treasure that will
benefit today's Chinese.
September's
official celebration of the birth of Confucius was
the biggest since the People's Republic of China
was established in 1949. The state-controlled
television broadcast festivities surrounding his
2,556th birthday on September 28 on a scale never
before seen in China. More than 2,500, including
many fairly high-ranking Communist Party cadres,
made a pilgrimage to the philosopher's birthplace
at Qufu in Shandong province.
The latest
government line is that Confucianism can serve as
a moral foundation to help build a more
"harmonious society" in keeping with President
(and Communist Party General Secretary) Hu
Jintao's efforts to address social problems such
as the polarization of society and a wide spread
"money first" mentality.
It is little
surprise that Chinese leaders are seeking to
rehabilitate their country's most famous and
influential thinker. In the moral void opened by
the decline of Marxism and the abundance of
material temptations, Confucianism can help
provide the nation with a much-needed ethical
anchor. And success in these endeavors would allow
China's leaders to strengthen their hold on
another Confucian bequest - the "mandate of
heaven", or the right to rule.
What is the
relevance of Confucianism in modern times? Which
tenets have served East Asia well - and could help
other nations and cultures? What are the pitfalls
to be avoided? Of all the world's great canons,
Confucianism is the most practical. What concerned
him most were people's relationships with one
another and with the state. He also focused on
social justice and good government. Ren or
benevolence was the pillar of the master's
thought.
Another was learning. Whether
East Asian countries include The Analects
(sayings of Confucius) in their social
curriculums, they all understand that education is
the root of national strength and prosperity. The
ingrained respect for knowledge - and for the
teacher who imparts it - is the key factor in the
outstanding academic performance of East Asians on
a global basis.
One can see Confucianism
alive in a modern way in Singapore when a
secondary student is reprimanded for blogging
about his teacher in a negative light. For that
matter, the Pennsylvania court that upheld a
school district for expelling a student who,
ranting on the Internet, called his teacher a
range of bad names and displayed a picture with
her head cut off was also, knowingly or not,
upholding Confucian values.
Yet the
long-time preoccupation with reciting the Nine
Classics (ancient musical pieces) has also
produced educational systems in Asia that stress
memorization at the expense of creative thinking.
This is a distortion of Confucian philosophy,
which emphasized both knowledge and thought. The
master said: "He who does not think is lost. He
who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
To the master, the family was fundamental
to the social order. "If the family is properly
regulated, the state will be too," he reasoned. No
amount of legislation, Confucius taught, could
either take the family's place or perform its
function as the linchpin of a well-ordered
society. In the master's world, children defer to
parents, wives to their husbands and subjects to
rulers in a natural progression.
He tended
to relegate women to the margins of public
affairs, though he may merely have been reflecting
the prevalent values of his time. Today a nation
shortchanges itself if it does not follow a saying
of another Chinese thinker, Mao Zedong, "women
hold up half the sky".
In return for the
loyalty of subjects, Confucius demanded that a
ruler display benevolence and unstintingly serve
their interests. If he didn't, citizens had the
right to remonstrate. Mencius, the second-most
influential Confucian philosopher, later developed
the concept of a "divine right of rebellion". If
an emperor became a tyrant, he would lose the
mandate of heaven and people would overthrow him.
Today they might simply throw the leader out of
office in an election. Confucius and democracy are
not incompatible.
Throughout history, the
rigid and unthinking application of Confucian
principles repeatedly produced complacent closed
societies that were unable to make progress. They
paid a terrible price: foreign subjugation and
internal upheaval. Modern Confucians must guard
against repeating such mistakes. If they succeed
in adapting their time-tested heritage to
contemporary challenges, Master Kong's teaching
may blossom beyond East Asia to enrich all mankind
in the next century.
Veteran Asia
correspondent Todd Crowell comments on
Asian affairs.
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