Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

Teachings II: The Foundation of a Good Society 55Confucius often talks about how poor some of his students were, especiallyhis favorite student, Yan Hui (or Yan Yuan). Confucius was not impressedby rich students arriving in their carriages and offering substantial schoolfees, saying that even if a student came on foot and offered only a packageof dried meat, he should be taught.What we know about Confucius ’ students, however, is that they wereall upper - class: some of them, like Confucius and Yan Hui, were relativelypoor, but we do not know of any of Confucius ’ students who were fromthe common people. It would be surprising to find commoners amongConfucius ’ students. At that time, ordinary men had only a very limitedopportunity to become literate. Without basic literacy, it would have beenimpossible to study any texts that Confucius taught, like The Book ofPoetry . As well, we find Confucius saying things like: while one can leadthe common people in the right direction, it is not possible to make themunderstand it. 20 So it is not clear that Confucius believed education shouldbe extended to all classes.WomenNor is it evident that he wanted education to be extended to women.Confucius rarely had anything to say about women in the Analects , andthat may be just as well. The one time he says anything about women, hesays, “ It is always difficult to deal with women and servants: if you aretoo close to them, they become insolent; if you keep them at too great adistance, they complain. ” 21 Confucius also said that he had yet to meet aman who is as fond of virtue as he is of beautiful women, and Confucius ’students were warned to guard themselves against female beauty whenyoung.The only woman named in the Analects is Nanzi. She was the wife of theDuke of Wei and, according to the sources, both politically powerful andpromiscuous. Confucius is said to have met and spoken with her, somethinghis students disapproved of. Confucius had to defend himself against theircriticisms, saying he had done nothing wrong. 22 Like many passages in theAnalects , there is no context here to tell us what Nanzi or Confucius saidin the conversation or why he was talking to her.All Confucius ’ students were male. Confucius ’ concerns are male concerns:getting a post in government, being a filial son, and so on. Womenalso do not figure in what we know about the lives and conversations ofConfucius ’ students. 23Texts from Confucius ’ time and later Confucian texts were especiallycritical of women in positions of power. Wives and concubines were seenas the source of political troubles. The Book of Poetry says,