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Book Review of Confucius: A Life From Beginning to End

Confucius: A Life From Beginning to End
jjares avatar reviewed on + 3296 more book reviews


To be blunt, this summary wasn't all that interesting. Probably it isn't Hourly History's fault, after all, Confucius lived BCE. I'm sure there was more written about Confucius' theories than about his life. The book really didn't mention much about the great man's personal life. We know more about his popular aphorisms and his efforts to encourage morality in life and governance.

We could certainly use some Confucianism today because he told rulers that if they acted virtuously, their subjects would imitate their behaviors and create a better world. This book is heavy on Confucian theory and light on implementation. Again, probably this is because he lived so long ago. Neo-Confucianism and Modern Neo-Confucianism are iterations of the original ideas. However, these show that Confucian thought was profound enough to be reapplied to changing norms for a whole new group of people.

It is good that Confucian thought spread throughout the East and even to Europe (and the West) because the Communist Chinese have tried to eradicate all Confucian thought through China. They are ruling through martial law -- something Confucius was against.