Confucian Cosmology

A moral code is often crucial to the survival of a group of people. It can be codified or an unspoken agreement, and used to guide the actions of a club, corporation, or society at large. The establishment of a moral code facilitates cooperation among people with competing interests and, at its best, can even create long-term harmony among them. In the Analects, Confucius outlines his theory on an ideal set of ethics, which fundamentally derives from respect and goodwill towards others. While critics of the Analects may argue that Confucius’ social order disenfranchises numerous groups, such as women or servants, and enforces an oppressive patriarchy, numerous examples throughout the Analects reveal that the text should be interpreted as a set of ethics that emphasizes

Confucian cosmology emphasizes the unity of earth and tian, or heaven, into a single system. Tian is all-encompassing and, unlike Judeo-Christian conceptions of heaven, is not a place governed by God, but a natural and self-inducing cycle of generation and destruction. Tian is neither static nor finite. So, despite the predictable patterns that tian produces, such as the “four seasons” and the birth and growth of “myriad things,” tian itself cannot be truly known (17.19). Following “the way of tian” means rowing with the cosmological current and gives rise to order and harmony (5.13). So, “exemplary” humans strive to channel and follow tian’s inherent harmony (13.23). Humans are not simply products of tian, but also parts of it. So, in order to follow the way of tian, humans must acknowledge two direct consequences of being part of tian: their relative smallness in the bigger picture and their bonds with each other. Acknowledging these two facts precipitates humility in oneself and goodwill towards others, which essentially amounts to respectful relations with