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Personality
Judging Oneself: How Confucius Did It
How did Confucius judge himself?
Posted March 29, 2009
The Analects are a group of teachings by and about the ancient Chinese scholar Confucius (K'ung-fu-tzu), compiled by his disciples.
I have been examining how people judge one another within the Confucian tradition so as to learn more about judging personality.
The first lines of a great work such as the Analects often mark a kind of "signing in" by the author -- an initial meeting of minds between the author and reader. Such opening lines can be full of significance.
The Analects begin:
The Master said: "To learn something and then to put it into practice at the right time: is this not a joy? To have friends coming from afar: is this not a delight? Not to be upset when one's merits are ignored: is this not the mark of a gentleman?"
For Confucius, acting on the basis of what one had learned was essential, as was enjoying the fruits of relationships. Learning to judge oneself and others also was crucial - yet, Confucius advises - one should not be surprised or dismayed to find oneself overlooked.
Confucius' Value System
All judgments of personality take place within in a value system. Confucius' teachings outline such a system in considerable depth. Two examples must suffice here, but also see the earlier posts (1, 2, 3) for more on the tradition.
The Master said: "A gentleman who lacks gravity has no authority and his learning will remain shallow. A gentleman puts loyalty and faithfulness foremost; he does not befriend his moral inferiors. When he commits a fault, he is not afraid to mend his ways."
The Master absolutely eschewed four things: capriciousness, dogmatism, willfulness, self-importance.
Part of learning in the Confucian tradition involved self-observation. Confucius believed in such values as open-mindedness and self-criticism. In the next passage, he models both openness and self-doubt:
The Master said, "Failure to cultivate moral power, failure to explore what I have learned, incapacity to stand by what I know to be right, incapacity to reform what is not good -- these are my worries."
Confucius acknowledged as well, perhaps a bit tongue-and-cheek, that he had help in understanding himself and his own limitations. When he misjudged a leader, one of his students pointed out his error. Confucius remarked, "I am fortunate indeed: whenever I make a mistake, there is always someone to notice it."
Confucius understood that observing personality required a sensitivity to context; indeed a gentleman was called upon to change his behavior depending upon the context.
In his village, Confucius was unassuming in his manners and spoke with hesitation.
In the ancestral temple and at court, his speech was eloquent yet circumspect.
At court, when conversing with the under ministers, he was affable, when conversing with the upper ministers, he was respectful. In front of the ruler, he was humble yet composed.
Confucius valued good conduct and gravity; he also experienced close and intense connections with his disciples. Chapter 5 of the Analects describes Confucius' reaction to the early death of Yan Hui, a cherished student.
Confucius says that no other student loved learning as much as did Yan Hui. Confucius praises Yan Hui to such a degree that his other students might feel slighted by comparison.
Perhaps Confucius' comparison between Yan Hui and his other students was intentional and considered, or perhaps the passage illustrates simply that even the wisest individual might say unwise things when bereaved. Either way, Confucius' caring attachment to both Yan Hui and his other students is suggested in the passage:
Lord Ji Kang had asked Confucius who among his disciples loved learning. Confucius replied that:
"...There was Yan Hui who loved learning. Alas, his life was short: he is dead, and now there is no one."
Yan Hui died. The Master said: "Alas! Heaven is destroying me, Heaven is destroying me."
Yan Hui died. The Master wailed wildly. His followers said: "Master, such grief is not proper." The Master said: "In mourning such a man, what sort of grief would be proper?"
Confucius seems to acknowledge here that when one loses such a companion, it is precisely the moment when wild wailing, sincerely felt, is right. At other times, the Analects report:
The Master was affable, yet stern; he had authority without being overbearing; he was dignified but easy to approach.
Although stern, Confucius views the joy of learning as central to his being. His joy encourages us to see him as a dynamically growing, ever-maturing individual.
How Confucius Described Himself
Confucian and related schools of Eastern thought are often said to possess their own distinct aesthetic. Whereas creativity in the West often emphasizes the new and the novel, creativity in the Confucian tradition often emphasizes the authenticity of the artist and the ability to "warm up" the old.
In traditional forms of Chinese painting, for example, each brush stroke is considered brand new and is not to be corrected by a second stroke. The painter's focus is on capturing authentically, the mood or essence elicited by a scene.
I believe this same aesthetic can be applied to describing people, and that perhaps Confucius used that approach in describing himself.
The Analects recount an occasion upon which Confucius described his own personality. The story begins when the Governor of a nearby area asked Zilu, one of Confucius' students, what Confucius was like. In response, Zilu remained silent.
Perhaps Zilu believed it was not his place to respond. Even if Zilu had wished to respond, Confucius' character is complex and Zilu might well have felt confused as to how to begin.
When Confucius heard of the incident, however, Zilu's behavior puzzled him, and Confucius went on to describe himself -- using just a few brief phrases, a set of original brush strokes in a verbal self-portrait.
Confucius' self-description is authentic and creative. It is a model, however, that I fear scientists cannot, and perhaps should not, follow, because scientists need to be a bit more methodical, and a bit less moved by the moment.
Confucius, to whom I will give the last word in this post, emphasized in his self-portrait his own dynamic, growing potential, his own essence at a particular moment. The Analects record that Confucius suggested to Zilu that he might have responded to the Governor like this:
...The Master said, "Why did you not say ‘He is the sort of man who, in his enthusiasm, forgets to eat, in his joy forgets to worry, and who ignores the approach of old age'?"
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Notes: I refer to the "author" of the Analects for the sake of simplicity although the work is believed to be the result of a number of Confucius' followers. Direct quotes from the Analects follow Confucius in Leys, S. (1997) (Trans & Ed). The analects of Confucius. New York: W. W. Norton. [Original work c. 479 BCE]. The Master said: "To learn something and then to put it into practice" Chapter 1.1; The Master said: "A gentleman who lacks gravity has no authority..." Chapter 1.8; The Master absolutely eschewed four things Chapter 8.4; The Master said: "Failure to cultivate moral power," Chapter 7.3; "I am fortunate indeed: whenever I make a mistake," Chapter 7.31; In his village, Confucius was unassuming in his manners, Chapter 10.1; At court, when conversing with the under ministers, he was affable, Chapter 10.2; Lord Ji Kang had asked Confucius who among his disciples loved learning. Chapter 11.8 to 11.10; The master was affable, yet stern; Chapter 7.38; The Master said, "Why did you not say..." Chapter 7.19.
There are many descriptions of Confucian and Confucian-related aesthetics. I drew in particular on a quote from Professor Louise Kuen-Wei Sundararajan, on p. 173 of Averill, J. R., Chon, K. K., & Hahn, D. W. (2001). Emotions and creativity, East and West. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 4, 165-183.
Copyright © 2009 John D. Mayer
