Plato Contrasted with Confucius Essay - 1245 Words

Plato Contrasted with Confucius Since the early beginnings of society, in which people began living in gathered communities, there can be seen a constant progression, upon a steady time line, of the increased order of the organization of society. However, this is not the kind of progress that was sought by two widely known philosophers and teachers, Plato and Confucius. The kind of social reform and alteration displayed in the teachings and writings of both of these men, examine a movement from societies viewed as chaotic and barbaric toward societies consisting of gentleman, practicing prescribed values, morals, and actions. Confucius and Plato both emphasized a moral conduct that went above and beyond the socially accepted norms of†¦show more content†¦However, Confucius also recognizes, by simply acknowledging that each man needs to progress towards being a gentleman, a similar characteristic that appears in many other cultures: man is essentially flawed in his own nature. Due to this flaw, a society is only able to progress up to a certain point, and will never be able to reach the highest level of civilized existence, one free from chaos and inhumaneness. Paralleling Confucius around the same time period, Plato was also outlining the necessities for such a progressive society. In his work The Republic, specifically The Allegory of the Cave, Plato gives a vivid picture of a society under the guidance of certain restrictions, keeping the people under control. The picture presented by Plato is of men kept in isolation within a cave in such a way that they are only permitted to see what is in front of them: the shadows cast of objects being carried along a path running through the cave. Within this metaphor of a controlled society, Plato shows how men will believe what is presented before them, regardless of whether or not the image presented is in fact reality. Plato recognizes that if men are only given the option of humaneness and decency then they will act in accordance with this, producing a society in which only humaneness and decency exist. Plato alsoShow MoreRelatedAnalects Of Confucius997 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"fengshu i† beard, Confucius remains one of Asia’s most highly regarded philosophers of all time. Today Confucianism is considered a way of life rather than a religion. This view of Confucianism is the very foundation of Confucius’s teachings. In The Analects of Confucius, readers are often directed by Confucius himself, regarding appropriate and virtuous manners throughout their lives. The  Analects  depicts Confucius as someone who transmits but not create [†¦] (7:1, Analects). What Confucius claimed toRead MoreReview of Personalities and Problems1573 Words   |  7 Pageseffective way to govern people. This is just one example of how he states the differences of the two personalities he discusses in a chapter. 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