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Who was Confucius? - Bryan W. Van Norden

  • 0:09 - 0:11
    Most people recognize his name
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    and know that he is famous
    for having said something,
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    but considering the long-lasting impact
    his teachings have had on the world,
  • 0:20 - 0:24
    very few people know
    who Confucius really was,
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    what he really said,
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    and why.
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    Amid the chaos of 6th Century BCE China,
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    where warring states fought
    endlessly among themselves for supremacy,
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    and rulers were frequently assassinated,
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    sometimes by their own relatives,
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    Confucius exemplified benevolence
    and integrity,
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    and through his teaching,
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    became one of China's
    greatest philosophers.
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    Born to a nobleman but raised in poverty
    from a very young age
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    following the untimely
    death of his father,
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    Confucius developed what would become
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    a lifelong sympathy
    for the suffering of the common people.
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    Barely supporting his mother
    and disabled brother
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    as a herder
    and account keeper at a granary,
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    and with other odd jobs,
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    it was only with
    the help of a wealthy friend
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    that Confucius was able
    to study at the Royal Archives,
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    where his world view would be formed.
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    Though the ancient texts there
    were regarded by some
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    as irrelevant relics of the past,
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    Confucius was inspired by them.
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    Through study and reflection,
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    Confucius came to believe that
    human character is formed in the family
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    and by education in ritual,
    literature, and history.
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    A person cultivated in this way
    works to help others,
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    guiding them by moral inspiration
    rather than brute force.
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    To put his philosophy into practice,
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    Confucius became an advisor to the ruler
    of his home state of Lu.
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    But after another state sent Lu's ruler
    a troop of dancing girls as a present
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    and the ruler ignored his duties
    while enjoying the girls in private,
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    Confucius resigned in disgust.
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    He then spent the next few years
    traveling from state to state,
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    trying to find a worthy ruler to serve,
    while holding fast to his principles.
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    It wasn't easy.
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    In accordance with his philosophy,
    and contrary to the practice of the time,
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    Confucius dissuaded rulers from relying
    on harsh punishments and military power
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    to govern their lands
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    because he believed that a good ruler
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    inspires others
    to spontaneously follow him
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    by virtue of his ethical charisma.
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    Confucius also believed
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    that because the love and respect
    we learn in the family
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    are fundamental to all other virtues,
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    personal duties to family sometimes
    supersede obligations to the state.
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    So when one duke bragged
    that his subjects were so upright
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    that a son testified
    against his own father
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    when his father stole a sheep,
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    Confucius informed the duke
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    that genuinely upright fathers
    and sons protected one another.
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    During his travels,
    Confucius almost starved,
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    he was briefly imprisoned,
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    and his life was threatened
    at several points.
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    But he was not bitter.
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    Confucius had faith that heaven
    had a plan for the world,
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    and he taught that a virtuous person
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    could always find joy
    in learning and music.
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    Failing to find the ruler he sought,
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    Confucius returned to Lu
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    and became a teacher and philosopher
    so influential,
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    that he helped shaped Chinese culture
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    and we recognize his name worldwide,
    even today.
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    For the disciples of Confucius,
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    he was the living embodiment of a sage
    who leads others through his virtue,
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    and they recorded his sayings,
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    which eventually were edited into a book
    we know in English as "The Analects."
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    Today, millions of people worldwide adhere
    to the principles of Confucianism,
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    and though the precise meaning of
    his words has been debated for millennia,
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    when asked to summarize
    his teachings in a single phrase,
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    Confucius himself said,
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    "Do not inflict upon others
    that which you yourself would not want."
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    2,500 years later, it's still sage advice.
Title:
Who was Confucius? - Bryan W. Van Norden
Description:

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-was-confucius-bryan-w-van-norden

Most people recognize his name and know that he is famous for having said something, but considering the long-lasting impact his teachings have had on the world, very few people know who Confucius really was, what he really said... and why. Bryan W. Van Norden reveals the man behind the mystery.

Lesson by Bryan W. Van Norden, animation by Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat.

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Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TED-Ed
Duration:
04:30

English subtitles

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