Differences that Existed Between the Political Situation of Ancient China and Ancient Greece

Chinese politics shaped the way of thinking of Confucius. China was a country whose conditions were oppressive to the common man. Throughout his life, he talked about reforms to the China politics. China political situation was not as neat, and at the same time, it posed more problems to the politicians. It could be said that China was less developed regarding politics. It did not allow for much diversity. The Chinese thinkers and politicians did not have the freedom to invent a lot of things in their leadership. Greece, on the other hand, was a country where thinkers were allowed to draw on a broad range of political experience. The politics of Greece were based on oligarchy, monarchy, a dictatorship as well as democracy. It was a more organized political situation. Also, the political leaders were not as oppressive as those of China. It is this kind of situation that allowed many thinkers and politicians in Greece to develop.

Why Confucius valued education

Confucius was a believer of reforms. He knew that for changes to take place, the society ought to be enlightened. Throughout his life, he was dedicated to ensuring that the world becomes a better place to live. In other words, he wanted people to have better living standards. Also, Confucius was not devoted to tradition. He believed in modernity, and hence he supported any institutions that would bring change and development. Some of the systems that could support the kind of change he was referring to were the educational institutions. For this reason, he valued education as he believed that it is through it that reforms would be embraced in China. When people shun traditional cultures that were not dynamic, he believed that there would be better chances of building a China founded under better reforms. According to him, all Chinese ought to have been educated.

How Confucius was a supporter and a non-supporter of democracy

According to Creel, Confucius saw China as a state where people were oppressed by their leaders. It is because of dictatorship that they were not given the freedom to make their own decisions and at the same time were denied freedom. Also, Confucius believed that it is not right for the government to starve its people to death for the sake of its benefits. He believed that the people should be given priorities and be involved in governmental decisions. In this way, Confucius believed that democracy would be the best way to ensure humanity and reforms. Through his support for feudalism, Confucius was on the other hand not a supporter of democracy. On this matter, Confucius differs with Han Fei Tzu. While he believes that the leaders should always protect the people and put their interests first, Han Fei Tzu, on the other hand, thought that in times of war, a leader should make his people die and exchange their strengths in peace. He says that an intelligent ruler should not waste their time focusing on justice and benevolence. Han Fei Tzu further believed that justice is one of the leading causes of disorder in the long run. Therefore, to avoid such complications, there should not be justice for the people.