Critical Thinking and Philosophy

Introduction

Confucius discusses the authenticity, and correctness of a man in the society. A respectful man should have qualities that allow him to be respectable member of society. I support the theory of Confucius as he provided enough evidence to show good qualities of a respectable man. Righteousness and loyalty are examples of qualities that were highlighted by Confucius. A righteous man is always trustworthy and has a winning image. A leader's good morals motivate the juniors to work hard hence be productive. He further explained that, an individual who keeps his or her word is trustworthy.

One's honesty builds integrity; honest individuals are successful in business. Customers trust a person who keeps his word, and commitment (Mathews, 2008). Doing things in moderation will enable one to maintain harmony. There would be balance in everything, and this will lead to good life. Good morals will enable one to be respectable in the society. Individuals should continuously examine his conscience to ensure it is worthy. Superior people live in harmony with other, while the inferior people do not live harmoniously with others.

Discussion

The philosophy of Confucius generally talks about how a man should live in the society. He discussed the personal and government morality. An individual's behavior is vital to the harmonious living in the society. A reputable man should have qualities that allow him to be respected, and respect others. Five qualities of a decent man are highlighted in this discussion. These qualities include integrity. Every man should be trusted in anything he does because of his integrity. A man should always be righteous, loyal, and kind to everyone, and should have respect for life (Gilman, 2003).

Superior people love the righteous man, and the inferior people hate the righteous man (Analects 13:23-24). People with good heart, and who have good feelings for others always associate with the high-quality things. They also associate with the righteous people. The inferior people in the society dislike the people who do right things, as they do not see the value of doing good. Performing tasks according to one's interest depicts selfishness, and may have negative results. Individuals should strive to perform their duties righteously rather than performing them according to their interests. These people like to associate with those people whom they have the same qualities.

This explains the Confucius theory (Slingerlands, 2003). A successful leader is honest and has integrity in his work. A good leader does not only expect the juniors to have good morals, but demonstrate it in action. A leader's excellent morals motivate the juniors to work hard hence be productive. Workers become more productive when they are honest, and committed to their duties. The basis of integrity is trust. An individual who keeps his or her word is trustworthy. One's honesty builds integrity; honest individuals are successful in business. Customers trust a person who keeps his word, and commitment. A leader, should therefore, be trustworthy. 

Proper conduct is another virtue that should be observed in the society. Proper conduct is a good behavior where an individual do things in moderation. Ensuring that one is not in the extreme of behavior is important. Doing things in moderation will enable one to maintain harmony. There would be balance in everything, and this will lead to good life. Staying in the extremes of life will always bring imbalance, and hence confusion (Slingerlands, 2003). Ones righteousness is depicted in his character, and the way he or she treats other people. A person of good character is able to stay harmoniously with others in the society.

People who live harmoniously together have unity, and hence an orderly society. This will lead to a peaceful nation. Loyalty is vital in everyone's life. Leaders should be loyal to their people. In most cases, leaders only expect their followers to be loyal to them. It is true that in most cases, leaders expect their followers to support whatever decision they make. Leaders, who accept correction from their workers, are successful. They gain loyalty, and trust from the subordinate.

Respect for family, and age is another virtue that is necessary in every man's life. Family provides one with identity. Family is also a beginning of an administration. Identity is important in every man's life. It enables one to be comfortable in the society and be respectable. In most cultures, including the Chinese, identity is incredibly essential. Individuals who do not have a family or identity are said to be the outcast of the society. They lack respect, and are considered unfit for any leadership. There are duties of every individual in the family. There are roles that are played by the father of the house, and those are meant for the mother. These duties should be respected, and done accordingly.

According to the Chinese culture, cleaning, cooking, and other household chores are a woman's duties. Every woman should respect, and perform their roles without complaining. People should strive to perform their duties to the best of their capabilities. Respect for age is another important virtue in one's life. People of different ages should respect one another. The elderly should respect the young people. The young people, on the other hand, should shave a high opinion on the elderly. There are different roles of people of different age sets. These roles should be respected, and performed accordingly. In the Chinese culture, adoration, and respect for one's parent was important to every individual. No person should disrespect his parent (Rainey, 2010).

In his teachings, Confucius states that one should not do to others what he does do wish be done to him. Empathy is the basis of this theory; every individual should be kind to another individual. Selflessness is another basis of his theory. Selfish individual, are not human, and may harm others to get whatever they desire.

In his political view, he said that a leader should rule according to people's natural morality. I agree with his argument. Individuals ought to be led using the natural morality. One should be punished when they do what is considered as violation human rights. Punishment is a way of exposing one to society of his evil doing. The leaders should never accept bribery from the wrong doers as this is violation of natural morality. Punishment will make individuals to shun from doing wrong hence avoid punishment. Leaders succeed in leadership in the basis of morality, and not lineage. In the Chinese traditional society, a son succeeds his father as a ruler despite of his immorality. A ruler with good morals will lead the others by example, and not merely by imposing the set rules, and regulations. The weak in the society should never be looked down upon. The inferior may give advises to the superior. Every individual in the society should be able to advice the leader, if his advices are beneficial to the whole society (Mathews, 2008).

It is important for every individual to be truthful to themselves about their knowledge. The knowledge on what an individual knows or does not know is very important in making decision. Good decisions are made after getting enough information regarding the problem. It is advisable for any political leader to have necessary information before making any decision. Virtues or good values are necessary for healthy living in the society. Good morals will enable one to be respectable in the society. Individuals should continuously examine his conscience to ensure it is worthy. Superior people live in harmony with other, while the inferior people do not live harmoniously with other. Learning from a mistake is indeed the best thing. A mistake acts as a correction of one's life. People are prone to mistakes, and correcting them is necessary for personal growth (Shen, 2007).

Conclusion

The philosophy of Confucius generally talks about how a man should live in the society. He discussed the personal and government morality. People with good heart, and who have good feelings for others always associate with the good things. They also associate with the righteous people. The bad people in the society dislike the people who do right things, as they do not see the value of doing good. Performing tasks according to one's interest depicts selfishness, and may have negative results. A good leader does not only expect the juniors to have good morals but demonstrate it in action. A leader's good morals motivate the juniors to work hard hence be productive.

In the Chinese traditional society, leaders a son succeed his Father as a ruler despite of his immorality. A ruler with good morals will lead the others by example, and not merely by imposing the set rules and regulations. A ruler with good morals will lead the others by example, and not merely by imposing the set rules and regulations. Ensuring that one is not in the extreme of behavior is important. Doing things in moderation will enable one to maintain harmony. There would be balance in everything and this will lead to good life. Staying in the extremes of life will always bring imbalance, and hence confusion.