User:Sophiej10

Good Faith
Good faith is associated with trustworthiness or faithfulness. A big part of good faith is keeping one's word. This can mean keeping promises or following through on things one says. In addition to this, good faith is most importantly about being truthful in all situations. It is sometimes translated as 'sincerity', as well as 'trustworthiness". The virtue of good faith is most vital to relationships with friends. It is also closely related to the virtue of loyalty. Loyalty relates to conscientiousness, which both truthfulness and the keeping of one's word are examples of. The qualities of faithfulness and trust are said to be important parts of teaching, learning, and leadership throughout the The Analects.

One of the three points Master Zeng mentions in book one that examines himself on each day is "In company with friends, have I been trustworthy?" (1.4). This is one example of how good faith is especially important when it comes to friendships. Master You compares it to righteousness, stating, "Trustworthiness is close to righteousness: one’s words are tested true." (1.13). It is discussed that being trusted by those around you is part of good faith. In book 5, the master says his wish is, “That the old are content with me, my friends trust me, and the young cherish me" (5.26). In that quote, Confucius is once again emphasizing the importance of truthfulness with friends. Faithfulness, related to good faith, is mentioned as an important aspect of teaching. Book 7 states that, "The Master taught by means of four things: patterns, conduct, loyalty, faithfulness." (7.25). Faithfulness is again represented as essential and related to learning in book 8, stating, "The Master said, Be devoted to faithfulness and love learning; defend the good dao until death." (8.13). Book 9 expresses that one should not have friends who are not alike in the sense of trustworthiness. It states, "The Master said, Take loyalty and trustworthiness as the pivot and have no friends who are not like yourself in this." (9.25). Keeping ones word, a quality at the heart of good faith, is said to be vital if one deserves to be called a gentleman. The master tells Zigong that, "Keeping to one’s word and following through in one’s actions – it has the ring of a petty man, but indeed, this would be next." (13.20) is necessary to be considered a gentleman. The master tells Zizhang in book 15 that trustworthiness, along with loyalty and good conduct, is the key to being effective. Book 19 discusses the trust of the people as being essential to being a good leader. It states, "Zixia said, The junzi only labors his people once he has earned their trust. If he has not earned their trust, they will merely see him as demanding." (19.10).

Good faith is likely one of the least ambiguous virtues when it comes to interpreting the meaning. It does not leave us with as many unexplained questions as many of the virtues do. It seems to be well defined and explained in The Analects. Therefore, we can interpret with decent confidence what good faith meant to Confucius.

I believe that the concept of good faith is still relevant to our world view today. Truthfulness, including keeping ones word, is regarded as an important virtue today as it has been for centuries. Most people will, for the most part, expect others to keep their promises and be truthful with them. Those who are truthful and keep their word are usually seen as better people than those who do not. Many people will be offended if someone breaks a promise to them or is deliberately untruthful. This is because we tend to expect those things from good people.

References to other texts
Plato's Apology contains multiple examples of good faith. On page 34, when speaking to the jury during his trial, Socrates tells the jury, "Even if you acquitted me now and did not believe Anytus, who said to you that either I should not have been brought here in the first place, or that now I am here, you cannot avoid executing me, for if I should be acquitted, your sons would practice the teachings of Socrates and all be thoroughly corrupted; if you said to me in this regard: "Socrates, we do not believe Anytus now; we acquit you, but only on condition that you spend no more time on this investigation and do not practice philosophy, and if you are caught doing so you will die"; if, as I say, you were to acquit me on those terms, I would say to you: "Men of Athens, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy." Socrates is showing good faith here by saying that he will continue to do what he thinks is right, even if not doing so is the condition of his acquittal. He is being completely truthful with the jury by telling them that he will continue to practice philosophy whether they give him permission to or not. At the end of page 34 and onto page 35, Socrates continues, saying, "Whether you believe Anytus or not, whether you acquit me or not, do so on the understanding that this is my course of action, even if I am to face death many times." Socrates is so set on having good faith and being truthful that he is willing to risk his own life to do so. The Analects stress being truthful in all situations as having good faith, and Socrates demonstrates this during his trial.

Just as it shows examples of having good faith, Apology also has instances of not having good faith. Meletus, who has brought Socrates to court by accusing him of corrupting the youth and not believing in the gods, is a clear example of not having good faith. After questioning Meletus about corruption of the youth, causing Meletus to talk circles around himself, Socrates says on page 30, "You have made it sufficiently obvious, Meletus, that you have never had any concern for our youth; you show your indifference clearly; that you have given no thought to the subjects about which you bring me to trial." Meletus makes it clear throughout the trial that he has no real justification for bringing Socrates to trial. Meletus continues to contradict himself, causing Socrates to say on page 31, "You cannot be believed, Meletus, even, I think, by yourself. The man appears to me, men of Athens, highly insolent and uncontrolled. He seems to have made this deposition out of insolence, violence, and youthful zeal...I think he contradicts himself in the affidavit, as if he said: "Socrates is guilty of not believing in gods but believing in gods," and surely that is the part of a jester." Meletus is an example of not having good faith, as he is clearly not truthful and does not seem to stick to his word. These are, according to The Analects, both vital things to having good faith.

The Ancient Egyptian Teaching of Amenemope has multiple chapters which discuss having good faith. For example, in chapter 17 it states, "Beware of disguising the measure, So as to falsify its fractions… Do not make a bushel of twice its size, For then you are headed for the abyss… Do not conspire with the measurer, So as to defraud the share of the residence." This chapter is giving guidance on truthfulness, one of the most important aspects of good faith. The chapter is explaining how one should be honest and truthful when farming and making bushels instead of defrauding. Although this advice is specific, it can be seen as an example of a more broad recommendation of how to live live a life in good faith.

Chapter 19 of Teaching of Amenemope is also relevant to good faith. It states, "Do not go to court before an official In order to falsify your words. Do not vacillate in your answers, When your witnesses accuse… Tell the truth before the official, Lest he lay a hand on you." This quote specifically mentions telling the truth, which is at the core of good faith. Chapter 19, which discusses truthfulness and not wavering in court, is once again giving guidance applicable to living in good faith. Similar to chapter 17, this is advice that although specific, can be taken as general advice and applied to many other situations.