Tommy Goodman, age 13, of Billings, Mont., for his question:
WHEN DID CONFUCIUS LIVE?
Historians agree that Confucius was the most respected and most influential philosopher in Chinese history. From the 100s B.C. until the 1900s A.D., his ideas served as the single strongest influence in Chinese society. He lived from about 551 to 479 B.C.
Confucianism is the philosophy based on the ideas of this Chinese philosopher. Many people consider Confucianism a religion, but it has no clergymen and does not teach the worship of a god or gods, or the existence of a life after death.
Confucius was born in the duchy of Lu, in what is now Shantung Province, China. His real name was Kung Ch'iu. The name "Confucius" is a Latin form of the title which means "great Master K'ung."
When he was still a child, Confucius' parents died. He failed in an attempt to become an adviser to the wise ruler. Confucius had wanted the position so he could put into practice his ideas for reforming society.
Confucius received some minor official appointments, but at his death he was largely unknown throughout China. His disciples spread his teachings.
No book exists that was definitely written by Confucius. His wise sayings and conversations were recorded in book form by his disciples.
Confucius believed his society could be saved if it emphasized sincerity in personal and public conduct. The key to orderly societal life, he said, was the gentleman. Confucius defined a gentleman not as a person of noble birth, but as one of good moral character.
Confucius taught a version of the golden rule: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.
By about 200 B.C., the first large Chinese Empire had started. The rulers approved of Confucianism's emphasis on public service and respect for authority.
The early Confucianists concerned themselves primarily with the needs of society. However, the ideas of other philosophers helped shift the emphasis to additional areas of human experience.
Man's ability to live in harmony with nature was a minor issue to Confucius. But it became an important theme in Confucian thought during the 200s and 100s B.C.
From about 200 to 600 A.D., interest in Confucianism declined in China. Many Chinese turned instead to Buddhism and Taoism because they dealt with problems of human existence that Confucianism largely ignored, such as the meaning of suffering and death.
A revival of interest in Confucius' philosophy started in the 600s. By the 700s, candidates for government jobs had to take civil service examinations based on Confucian ideas.
Chu Hsi, between 1130 and 1200, became a leader of a movement called Neo Confucianism. Chu developed a branch of Confucianism called the rational wing. It emphasized study and investigation of Li, the pattern behind human and natural relationships.
Confucianism continued to actively influence Chinese life until it came into conflict with communism in the 1900s. Today, the Chinese government opposes Confucianism because the philosophy encourages people to look to the past rather than the future.