Analysis of the Translation of the Analects of Confucius

Jpz777 04/29/2013 Order # 2094035 In an authoritative and widely cited translation of the Analects of Confucius originally published in 1938, celebrated English sinologist Arthur Waley provided the most comprehensive explication of this enduring contribution to humanistic philosophy, one which has since been continually reprinted for scholarly study. An anthology of short yet powerful passages which capture the beliefs taught by Confucius during his lifetime, the Analects offers a fluid recreation of Confucius and his associated teachings, through the prism provided by the evolving structure of the school of thought created. Beginning with a sober deconstruction of the mythologizing which has come to define the Western conception of Confucius, of whom Waley states it appears from the Analects that he was a private person who trained the sons of gentlemen in the virtues proper to a member of the ruling class (14), this translation offers modern readers with an comprehensive and historically accurate interpretation of the Analects, and their influence on the resulting system of moral mastery known as Confucianism. Spreading slowly but steadily throughout China after the original texts comprising the Analects was compiled by Confucius pupils in approximately 300 BCE, the philosophy of social and political ethics espoused in these twenty books developed into a combination of religious dogma and ruling doctrine. As Waley notes in the Introduction to his translation, fromShow MoreRelatedPlato and Confucius4610 Words   |  19 Pagesdeeply influenced by Plato’s Republic, Eastern ethical theory has been deeply influenced by Confucius’s Analects. David Haberman describes the Republic as ‘one of the most influential books of all time’ (86). And Bryan Van Norden compares (with considerable fervor) the Analects to ‘the combined influence of Jesus and Socrates’ (3). On the surface, there are many similarities between Confucius and Plato. Both taught through means of dialogue, and both expressed reticence to provide direct definitionsRead MoreThe Question of Socrates Obedience3243 Words   |  13 Pagesï » ¿The Question of Socrates Obedience, Supported by Confucius Introduction Is it right to act in ones own best interest, or to obey the state? In other words, was Socrates right to obey the orders of the state of Athens to take poison, or should he have acted to preserve his own life by choosing exile or escaping? In The Trial and Death of Socrates, the question is posed to the philosopher whether it is right to act in ones own best interest or to obey the State. Crito argues that the StatesRead More We Should Reach out to Muslims Essay1974 Words   |  8 Pagesdarn boring, too. The Analects of Confucius is in my opinion a seriously dull book.(Analects) The thing about scriptures is that they are not to be taken like any other book. You have to soak yourself in them, preferably from early childhood. For best results, you have to memorize them - as devout Muslims do the Koran, and as gentlemen in Imperial China used to do with the Analects. One of those latter, the 11th-century scholar Cheng Yi, reported that when he read the Analects his hands unconsciouslyRead MoreImportance of Intercultural Communication to Ist7702 Words   |  31 Pages Lynch and Hanson World View A cultures world view is the basic foundation of that culture because it governs both perception and behavior in large and small ways. Rapport and Overing defines world view as the common English translation of the German word Weltanschauung, meaning overarching philosophy or outlook, or conception of the world. It is the phrase overarching philosophy that unmistakably marks the significance of world view. World views are used in constructing, populating