10 Argumentative Essay Topics on Confucianism

If you are writing an argumentative paper on Confucianism then you must ensure that each argument or claim you make is supported with evidence. This is best done by having facts, anecdotes, or statistics to help you. Of course, given the complexity of the topic, in most cases have evidence in the form of stories or anecdotes from the teachings of the master or history books about him and Confucianism are sufficient.

That being said, below is a list of intriguing facts on Confucianism that you can use for your next writing:

1. Confucianism is a philosophy that was birthed in China. This philosophy focuses on improving and perfecting humanity through teaching, as well as the cultivation of virtue and moral perfection. Judaism is the parent religion of Christianity and is the official faith of the Jewish people. Judaism can be traced back more than 3,000 years and is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Like Islam, Judaism touches on every aspect of a person’s life, depending on their type of Judaism—reformed, orthodox, or conservative.
2. Confucianism has ancient roots to China, but has been shared across Vietnam, Japan, and Korea who were each heavily influenced by Chinese culture. The ideology was used by many empires to legitimize their rule throughout areas of Eastern Asia. Of course, the term is also one applied to the notion of respect for elders or to the practice of worshipping ancestors. Those who study the ancient tests for Confucianism are called “ru”.
3. The master of Confucianism was Confucius himself, whose name was actually Kong. Kong had many conversations with his disciples and added some sayings through conversations which were brought together to help support guidance for the followers of Confucianism. The text that combines the sayings from Kong portray him as a mentor as well as a patron for those younger males who wanted to serve the government. These men were typically located in the state of Lu, from between 510 and 479 B.C. It is said that the questions these young males had and the answers they received were what drove the concept of the learning in Confucianism. In fact, it was the master himself who stated that he simply loved learning and that he transmitted wisdom to others from the past. He also stated that he learned from his students in a continuous learning process. This learning process was considered spiritual, practical, and intellectual.
4. Within the idea of Confucianism, learning is an essential step toward knowing. And once you know, you can do. And once you can do, you can enjoy spiritual fulfillment, something which is actually the essence of learning. This is what created the continuous process of learning, something which was meant to be an alternative to the corruption of power and wealth. The disciples of Confucius, after his death, attempted to maintain his learning standards.
5. The concepts of Confucianism supported the North China Plains warriors. It was stated that the world of the spirits and the world of men are two different worlds, but mutual intervention and communication between the two worlds was possible through oracles or shamans. Warriors of this time had to use sacrificial rites known as li in order to mollify the spirits and to prevent them from interfering the affairs of the men. Prior to Confucius, astrology was used as an indication of the movement for the spirits. The ideas and knowledge transmitted by Confucius were written in Zhou texts.
6. The ideas of Confucianism remained in Lu until Mencius during 371 to 289 B.C. A change to the ruling class took place when the different states were at war with one another, and with the borders changing, conscription taking place, and direct taxation being implemented, scholars were invited from around the known areas of the world to help develop the states. During this time of discourse is when Mencius received the teachings of the early Confucianism rituals and duties. It was during this warning time period that the way between heaven and earth were discussed. In fact, it was Mencius who stated that one level of heaven was for kings and rulers while the other was for gentlemen.
7. In 221, the Qin conquest was complete and another political shift took place under the Han imperial rule. The title of emperor came of use and the ruler was now seen as an explainer of the cosmos and the yin and yang. It was claimed that each area of the cosmos resonated with the changes that took place in the others. Small climate, production, or administrative policies related to bigger processes. The texts of Confucianism were studied during this time in order to improve the current understanding of the heaven, the earth, and human scientists. It was Dong Zhongshu who has given credit for reviving the Confucianism texts at this time. This period is now referred to as “Han Confucianism”. Five Classics were crafted based on interpretations of Confucianism. These five classics were called the “new texts” and they replaced the “old texts” of Confucianism.
8. This version of Confucianism spread from China to Korea and Japan. This model resonated well with many families in both areas but division did not take place among the imperial states until the 11^th century during which time the Western scholars see socio-intellectual trends arise among the East Asian followers, something that led to the development of Neo-Confucianism. Nativists preferred the moral learning that was taught in Confucianism and the creation of woodblock printing allowed for larger private academies to develop around other beliefs such as Buddhism and Daoism.
9. It was Zhu Xi who is credited with bringing together the trends of the time period in his writings. He focused on the new movement of cosmology and Confucianism. He also explored the shift toward the investigation of all things, or the great learning that everyone used to garner self-cultivation as well as world peace.
10. It was in 1868 that the Japanese leaders put into effect a national state religion and demanded loyalty of the Chinese and Korean subjects in terms of Confucianism. Moderates tried to combine current social order and education with Confucianism for the Qing Empire.

These facts will be your life buoy during writing your assignment. But that’s not all we can propose: look through sample topics on Confucianism and a writing guide on an argumentative essay; they will be great assistants for your paper writing.

References:
Cline, Erin M. “Justice And Confucianism”. Philosophy Compass 9.3 (2014): 165-175. Web.
Confucius., et al. The Wisdom Of Confucius. New York: Modern Library, 1994. Print.
Foust, Mathew A. “Confucianism And American Pragmatism”. Philosophy Compass 10.6 (2015): 369-378. Web.
Goldin, Paul Rakita. Confucianism. Durham: Acumen, 2011. Print.
Hoobler, Thomas, and Dorothy Hoobler. Confucianism. New York: Facts on File, 1993. Print.
Tan, Sor-hoon. “Democracy In Confucianism”. Philosophy Compass 7.5 (2012): 293-303. Web.
황성규,. “The Review Of Integration Possibility About Confucious And Mozi’s Feature Of Justice And Benefit”. journalofmoralethicseducation null.33 (2011): 183-204. Web.