No Discrimination in Education

Confucius and Confucianism:

Questions and Answers

 

Confucius and Confucianism: Questions and Answers

by Thomas H. Kang, Ph.D. © 1997

     The author, Thomas Hosuck Kang, born a Korean Confucian came to the United States in 1958, studied at Georgetown and American University, specialized in Confucian studies with Ph.D. and established the first Confucian church and mission in the United States as a nonprofit organization.

 

     While he was working at the Library of Congress as an Asian information specialist, he surveyed Confucian studies in the West and compiled A Bibliography of Confucian studies in the West in 15 Western languages on a PC data base with 62,00 entries and ready for publication. He published a short history of Confucian studies in the West, 1662-1990. Through this forty years work on this subject, he discovered not a single comprehensive book which can answer to what Confucianism is as a reference tool as well as a general reading.

 

     Arthur Waley as one of the outstanding Confucian scholars, one of the translators of the Analects, wisely said both with wit and humor, one could construct half a dozen other Confucius's out of the Analects by tapping the legend at different states of its evolution. Therefore, with regard to Confucius we have to be careful for which Confucius we are talking about. He has many different faces such as religion, philosophy, ethics, sociology, etc.

 

     As for Confucianism, it is an Oriental heritage, a cultural gene which has been transmitting Confucian culture from generation to generation and from nation to nation for 2,500 years to make the Confucian cultural zone. The people of East Asia now constituting nearly one-fourth of the world population behave according to Confucian influence whether they believe or not Confucianism as a religion. This Confucian culture is the unique nucleus of the orientation of people's behavior in East Asia, just as Christianity is for that of the people's behavior in the West.

 

     In addition, the term, "Confucian" can be labeled for anything, e.g., deistic, atheist, educational, familialistic, nationalistic, dictatorial, authoritarian, conservative, progressive, aggressive, regressive, retrospective, and at the present time democratic, modernistic, humanistic, of an alternative capitalism, and of a pattern of new civilization.

 

     From the end of the 19th century the people in Confucian cultural zone have devoted with single-heart to the introduction of Western scientific and materialistic culture and owe it a great debt of gratitude. Now it is a turn to repay its indebtedness with Confucian spiritual heritage to create a new East-West heritage for mankind. As a matter of fact, it has already shown the American people's enthusiasm for children's education.

 

     In order to cover the main aspects of such as broad subject, the contents of the book are divided into 21 subjects as follows:

1. Confucius

2. Confucian Classics

3. Confucianism

4. Neo-Confucianism

5. What is the Dao?

6. Religion

7. Rites and Ceremonies

8. Philosophy

9. Ethics

10. Psychology

11. Education

12. Economy

13. Confucianism in East Asia

14. Politics and Government

15. Legal Aspect

16. Sociology

17. Science

18. Arts

19. Confucian Bridge Between East and West

20. Criticism on Confucius and Confucianism

21. Prospects

             Epilogue

 

     This timely book represents an outstanding and indispensable text to further understand the East Asian heritage, culture, social institutions and the people which comprise one-quarter of the global population. -- Dr. Chang Shub Roh, Professor Emeritus, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. For a Confucian reference work from A to Z and for general readers, highly recommended. -- Professor Tsung Chin, University of Maryland. The catechism for Confucian church, syllabus for classes, reference book for libraries, and general reading for the public. -- Dr. Jubong Kim, Korean specialist, Library of Congress.