Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

Issues 201If that is so, then how do we understand the past? Like NewConfucians, some scholars of Confucianism argue that much of the pastwas not real Confucianism. 16 Excluding women from a real educationwas not following the message of Confucianism. The Confucians ofthe past were too much influenced by the culture around them and didnot really understand the message of Confucianism. Confucian ideas ofgender were formed by the culture around them; as well, they did notthink through the moral implications of “ real ” Confucianism. It is perfectlypossible to reject Confucianism ’ s view of women while remainingfaithful to Confucianism.CriticsAs you can imagine, all of this is extremely controversial. Critics ofConfucianism argue that Confucianism is a male - dominated philosophythat has always spoken to men ’ s concerns. Confucianism has in the past, asit does now, excluded women from public life. Confucianism supports rigidgender roles that make women secondary to men. It supports a patriarchalfamily and a patriarchal state.The Confucian classics set out this secondary status for women quiteclearly and it was then cemented in place by the ideas of yin and yang whichmade women ’ s lowly status a matter of cosmic order.The basic message of Confucianism is that what men do and what menthink is important, while what women do is not. This, critics argue, is theonly way to understand the Confucian tradition and its history. WhenConfucianism excluded women from the public arena and believed thatwomen could only be active in the home, this meant that women did notneed an education and so could not practice self - cultivation or becomegentlemen. Confucianism not only theoretically and practically excludedwomen from government roles, but also limited women ’ s ability to beindependent moral actors by demanding women ’ s obedience to father,husband, and son.This plays out even today, critics say, in the New Confucian movement,where almost all the participants are male and where discussions of modernideas of gender equality are very rarely heard. New Confucianism teachesfilial piety and loyalty, but this is filial piety and loyalty in the context ofa patriarchal family and society. All that many New Confucians say towomen is that they must preserve Asian values and not become Westernized– that is, independent.The differences between those who would redeem the Confucian traditionand make it more open to women, and those who think that Confucianismcannot be redeemed and cannot include women, are wide indeed.