英語暢談中國文化50主題--01：重新發(fā)現(xiàn)孔子

Did you see the statue of Confucius launched by the China Confucius Fund? Yes, I did. It doesn't quite match the Confucius image in my mind though. I heard there are many different opinions about this so-called official statue. But, to be fair, it's an impossible job to create an official statue of someone who lived more than 2,500 years ago. No one knows what he looked like, just like no one in the West knows what Plato looked like. Nevertheless, Confucius was a great philosopher, an educator, a politician, as well as the founder of Confucianism, which still has a tremendous influence over people today. Confucianism seems to be back in fashion again. As far as I know, about five to six million Chinese students are currently studying The analects of Confucius. Some companies are using Confucianism as a management tool. The government is also promoting the Confucian values of ethics, fairness, and honesty. They see it as a way to address the social problems that have emerged as a result of the accelerated economic growth. Confucianism is the backbone of Chinese culture. Confucius developed his philosophy around the concept of benevolence. The Analects of Confucius is a record of his political views. Confucianism represents a set of moral principles because it stresses fairness and harmony in human relationships, as well as the individual’s social responsibility for their country. For Confucius, political honesty is based on individual ethical integrity. Some American scholars did a comparative study of Confucius with Greek and Roman philosophers. Their conclusion was that there is more practical value in Confucianism. Why it that? Well it has extensive application in Chinese society. Confucius was also an accomplished educator. He treated his students as his equal by teaching them democratic and open-minded ideas . In the words of the American scholars, Confucius wanted to train his students to become more unrestrained and adaptable to external influences. There is also an increasing awareness of Confucianism in other parts of the world. This may be a result of various political, cultural, and environmental challenges due to China’s growing economic importance. As a result, the rise of individualism in the community has become a serious threat to social harmony and progress. A different set of values are needed as a counterbalance. Confucianism emphasizes "courtesy" and "respect" when dealing with people or nature so it should be very beneficial for building harmony in any society. You are right. A scholar once said that answers concerning our survival can be found in the wisdom of Confucius, even though he lived more than 25 centuries ago.