Table of Content
Confucius and the Analects, a short introduction
Quotes and comments from this week’s readings
Anna Karenina, Part two, XXI-XXXV
The Prisoner. p. 1746-1785 (ed. Quarto Gallimard) or p. 180-230 (ed. Penguin Classics Deluxe)
Analects, Book 1-3
Next week’s readings
Confucius and the Analects, a short introduction
Confucius is probably the most influential philosopher in history. First of all, as P. Goldin explains, “he was the first teacher of its kind” (Goldin 2020, p. 31) :
Confucius was apparently the first to have his teachings documented by his disciples, and not coincidentally, seems to have emphasized the moral aspect of correct ritual practice to an unprecedented degree. This he transformed the ancient role of ritual master, expert in the ways of cauldrons and platters, into something that we could call a moral philosophy (Goldin 2020, p. 32)
Because he was the first teacher, all of the philosophy schools of classical China grew either in reaction or through dialogue with him and his disciples. He is also viewed as having authored or edited some of the Chinese classics. And finally, he came to be the central intellectual figure of the Chinese state. Not that he actually governed in any sort of way, but the text produced by his disciples, and the classics he had edited came to be the central texts in the examination system selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. Everyone who wanted to be someone had to read these texts, and as a consequence, the ideas he talked about were the central ideological element of the Chinese government.
No other philosopher in history comes even close in terms of historical influence. The only texts that have had as much influence in human history, as the Analects, the compilation of Confucius’ sayings recorded by his disciples, are The Bible and The Koran.
For someone who has already read philosophy, reading the Analects can be disconcerting. It’s true philosophers in the West write in a variety of ways. Plato wrote dialogues, Montaigne wrote short reflexive essays, Aristotle wrote treatises, some wrote poems, and Nietzsche wrote short or long aphorisms. But behind this diversity, hides the unity of what made western philosophy a formidable intellectual tool: philosophy is about arguments, and most often about deductive arguments. Western philosophy, throughout most of its history, has developed following a single and quite simple idea: through argumentation, falsehood can be avoided and truth can be attained. (I know some may react with cries of “but Hegel” or “but Kierkegaard” or even “but Heidegger”. My answer will simply be: I said “most of its history”).
Chinese philosophy is a different beast altogether. For different reasons that I may explore one day, and that I already touched upon a few months back, deductive arguments are a Greek invention. They are not really found in Chinese philosophy, though one can argue that some Mohist texts fit the bill for deductive arguments. I believe this is why reading the Analects can be so disconcerting to a western philosophy student. This is also probably why so many western philosophers scoff at the idea of Chinese philosophy being called philosophy.
The Analects is not a book that tries to convince. It’s a book that tries to show, that tries to make one thinks, and in order to do that, according to P. Goldin, it uses three main strategies: paradoxes, analogies, and appeals to examples. The quotes I will share over the next 7 to 8 weeks will give ample examples of each.
Quotes and comments from this week’s readings
Anna Karenina, Part two, XXI-XXXV
This child with his naïve outlook on life was the compass which showed them the degree of their departure from what they knew but did not want to know (p. 186)
“Forgive me for coming, but I couldn’t let the day pass without seeing you,” he went on in French, as he always did, avoiding the impossible coldness of formal Russian and the danger of the informal. (p. 186-187)
“Ah, if everybody was as sensitive as you are! said Varenka. “There’s no girl who hasn’t gone through that. And it’s all so unimportant.” (p. 222)
The Prisoner. p. 1746-1785 (ed. Quarto Gallimard) or p. 180-230 (ed. Penguin Classics Deluxe)
Ici je dois dire que M. de Charlus « possédait », ce qui faisait de lui l'exact contraire, l'antipode de moi, le don d'observer minutieusement, de distinguer les détails aussi bien d'une toilette que d'une « toile ». (p. 1759)
I must point out here that M. de Charlus "possessed," - in this the exact opposite of myself - the gift of carefully observing, of being able to describe in the finest details either an outfit or a "canvas.”
En matière de crime, là où il y a danger pour le coupable, c'est l'intérêt qui dicte les aveux. Pour les fautes sans sanction, c'est l'amour-propre. (p. 1783)
In matters of crime, where the culprit is in danger, it is his material interest that prompts the confession. Where the fault incurs no penalty, it is self-esteem.
Analects, Books 1-3
The Master said, “To learn and the have occasion to practice what you have learned - is this not satisfying? To have friends arrive from afar - is this not a joy? To be patient even when others do not understand - is this not the mark of the gentleman? (1.1)
The Master said, “If you try to guide the common people with coercive regulation and keep them in line with punishments, the common people will become evasive and will have no sense of shame. If, however, you guide them with Virtue, and keep them in line by means of ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and will rectify themselves. (2.3)
Compare this with what Confucius says in 2.15 lower.
The Master said, “Noth keeping past teachings alive and understanding the present - someone able to do this is worthy of being a teacher.” (2.11)
The Master said, “If you learn without thinking about what you have learned, you will be lost. If you think without learning however, you will fall into danger.” (2.15)
Duke Ai asked, “What can I do to induce the common people to be obedient?”
Confucius replied, “Rais up the straight and apply them to the crooked, and the people will submit to you. If you raise up the crooked and apply them to the straight, the people will never submit.” (2.19)
Next week’s readings :
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Part three, I-XIV
Proust, The Prisoner. p. 1786-1826 (ed. Quarto Gallimard) or p. 230-282 (ed. Penguin Classics Deluxe)
Confucius, Analects (tr. E. Slingerland), Books 4-7