US scholar explains Confucianism as time-honored teachings for self-growth

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In upcoming book 'Growing Moral,' Stephen Angle untangles misunderstandings about Confucianism

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The 2015 census released by Statistics Korea presented interesting information about how Confucianism is viewed by the Korean public: unlike people of many other countries who deem it as a philosophy, Koreans consider it a religion.

Out of 49 million adults aged 18 and older, the survey found that some 75,000 people identified themselves as believers of Confucianism. Protestants took up the largest proportion with 20 percent, followed by Buddhists (16 percent) and Catholics (8 percent). Although its figure is relatively small compared to those of the top three religions, those who answered that their "religious affiliation" is Confucianism came in fifth, following Won Buddhists.

The census and its results made news at that time, mainly because Protestants had replaced Buddhists in the top spot, defying the findings of the 1995 census.

For people outside of Korea, however, the results present another intriguing finding that is not discussed much in Korea: there seems to be a consensus among some Koreans that Confucianism is a religion, rather than a way of life or a philosophy.

Stephen Angle, a professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University

Korea is one of the rare countries that includes Confucianism in the religion category, according to Stephen C. Angle, a professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University.

"I believe that Indonesia also officially considers Confucianism a religion. In some other countries, there are no official lists of religions, and so it just depends on how people identify," he said in an email interview with The Korea Times. "From my perspective, Confucianism certainly has important religious dimensions, so it would be a mistake to say simply that Confucianism is not a religion. Because many people understand religion on the model of organized, monotheistic religions, though, I understand that people often do not think of Confucianism this way."

Angle, also the author of the forthcoming book, "Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to Life," is an expert of Confucianism having studied it for the past three decades.

In his new book, he clarifies what Confucianism is about, untangles misunderstandings about it and explains the terms, values and rituals that are emphasized in its teachings.

With his thorough analysis of the teachings of five towering thinkers, the author makes a pitch for Confucianism as a way of ritual for self-growth and claims it is time-honored learning that is still relevant to modern-day lives, even in the fast-changing digital age. The five philosophers he explored are Konzi (better known as Confucius), Mengzi (Mencius), Xunzi, Zhuxi and Wang Yangming.

Angle emphasizes that Confucianism is not an outdated philosophy. "Confucian thinkers have been able to recognize when changed conditions call for changed viewpoints even while stressing the importance of connection to the past," his book reads.

Although it has had a major impact in shaping Koreans' way of life for centuries, Confucianism is rarely portrayed as something positive among contemporary Koreans. Most times, it is singled out as one of the key sources of all sorts of negative aspects holding Korean society back from advancing. Confucian culture has been accused of propelling gender inequality, as it triggered society's now disappeared preference of sons over daughters, for example. Confucianism is also blamed for having resulted in the male-dominated social structure.

Angle says such negative stereotyping of Confucianism is common in other cultures, too. "Over the last century, many have been critical of Confucianism, seeing it as the defender of feudalism, hierarchy and patriarchy," his book reads.

"Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to Life" by Oxford University Press

For Westerners who may not be familiar with Confucianism, China's language and cultural institutes named after Confucius appear to have played a role in creating or facilitating a negative impression of it.

In recent years, an increasing number of Confucius Institutes (CIs) in the United States and Canada have been closing down amid growing backlash against the institutions, following allegations of censorship and espionage involving CI officials or teachers. Some anti-CI campaigners claim that CIs are a tool of the Chinese Communist Party's political arm to infiltrate host countries in the guise of language centers and influence locals with its pro-state ideology.

Angle said that censorship and any other attempts to violate academic freedom are unacceptable, but went on to say that he thinks that there has been no systematic effort by the Chinese government or authorities to use the CIs to infiltrate other countries.

"In my view, the function of many Confucius Institutes is overwhelmingly to support and promote Chinese language and culture instruction. I think that the worries about them as ideological tools are mostly overblown," he said. "I do acknowledge that in a small number of cases, personnel of Confucius Institutes or leaders of the parent organization in Beijing have attempted to use their position to sway decisions of the United States and other academic organizations ― for example, not to have a lecture on a topic that the Chinese government finds problematic. I think this is highly inappropriate and only undermines the major goals of the Confucius Institutes."

When asked if the naming of the Chinese institutes after Confucius is partially responsible for undermining or creating misunderstandings of Confucianism, Angle presented a view that it is a double-edged sword.

"Part of me thinks that the adage 'any press is good press' may be correct. On balance, by using Confucius' name, the existence and potential relevance of Confucianism today have been highlighted. But insofar as people associate Confucius with heavy-handed censorship or authoritarianism, that is bad in part because it is highly misleading about Confucianism itself," he said.

"Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to Life" will be published by Oxford University Press in March.