Anaclets, Books 1-3

Virtue, 100%

Unlike the Bible, Virtue plays a mayor role within the Analects. It’s their way—the Masters’ way, to control of everything, various areas including the family, the goodness, music, and even the politics, in conclusion, virtue being the perfect way to lead someone throughout their lives.

I say it’s different from the Bible, this use of Virtue, because we could say that most of the characters within the Books we read, were controlled—their lives were—by God. It was God who decided what they should or shouldn’t do, and when disobeying they were punished. Characters such as Abraham and Moses, and Saul, were considered ‘good’ people because they obeyed God.

So far, in the Ana there hasn’t been any mention of punishment. I was able to find, though, that the punishment we shall give it ourselves, it’s like a punishment of morality, of us realizing what we’ve done wrong.

2.15 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.”

The citation above leads us into another argument; we are allowed to do what we want to do, and we will not be severely punished—rather by ourselves. We can think and not learn, or learn and not think, and our punishment will be the “not-learning”. Plus, it is not literally that we will fall into danger, it says rather that we are approaching a dangerous and naïve stage. The Masters want the humans (or believers of Confucius), to be more responsible, to be able to make our own choices and know that we are responsible for whatever happens.

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2.21 “…Thus, in being a filial son and good brother, one is already taking part in government. What need is there, then, to speak of ‘participating in government’?”

Now, this citation focuses more into politics. ____ describes joining the government as an act of being good with your family, therefore connecting politics and family, as a very similar thing, as the same action. We can say here again, that Virtue is their way (the Masters’) to educate and teach others, and be better; you’d be involved in the government as long as you’re a good brother, or loyal son. Politics doesn’t mean having power, or having the ability to ruin a country. Rather, it’s when a community is running accordingly thanks to Virtue, for it’s people to perform ‘Goodness’, and be loyal family members.

The Analects Books 1-3 show how Virtue is employed by the Masters to give the correct teaching; how they believe that it is the correct way for people to be ‘good’. It is mentioned, at the beginning of Book 1, of how Virtue and morals are as important as the knowledge of fact.