User:Gleonar2

Confucius grew up as a member of a rather elite class in the social hierarchy of ancient china, and this status influenced many of his philosophical views. He tended to see organization and social structure as the will of Heaven, and this idea is repeated throughout the analects. For example, Confucius said "Heaven is author of the virtue that is in me." This hints at his categorization of heaven as an abstract entity that endows mankind with their status. He also supported the mandate of heaven, a Chinese idea that stated that the Emperor's power came from Heaven, and as such he had a duty to treat the people right and carry out Its will, else his power should be revoked. Beyond that, Confucius believed that Heaven embodied the natural order of things, and it is mankind's duty to uphold this natural order. In this sense, Confucianism is similar to Daoism, which holds that the universe is kept in balance through two primary forces, Yin and Yang, that represent order and chaos. The interplay between these two forces allows for harmony and balance in the natural world. Confucius appears to characterize heaven in a manner quite akin to that of Yin and Yang, seeing it as an embodiment of the natural order of the world. In this way, we see a stark contrast between the beliefs of Confucius and modern ideas of heaven. Modern American society characterizes heaven as a place, a paradise that you go to after death if you earned the right to be there. Rather than the will of heaven, we have the will of God. God is seen as the ultimate judge of morality and mankind, and He alone determines who is good and who is evil. Confucius, on the other hand, didn't seem to have much to say on the idea of a ruler of heaven. Instead, he characterized heaven as an abstract concept, the idea of order in the world and the ultimate goal we should all strive to achieve. For him, heaven wasn't so much a place as a representation of the ultimate goal of humanity. This is further demonstrated by his comments upon spirits. When asked about them, his response was "If we cannot even know men, how can we know the spirits?" Confucius wasn't concerned with spiritual beings or the supernatural like many other philosophers or religious leaders. Instead, he was concerned with humankind and human morality, and the idea of a duty that every human had to be moral and act righteously.