The Individual vs. The Collective Theme Analysis

In the Analects of Confucius, Chinese philosopher Confucius lays out various behaviors and moral values that he believes all people should cultivate to live life in accordance with the Way, or the Tao, the set of cultural and ethical teachings to which Confucius subscribes. One of the most significant components of the book is Confucius’s emphasis on family and community. He stresses loyalty to one’s parents as a defining trait that determines one’s character. He also emphasizes how important it is for political leaders to behave in ways that benefit the collective. In both cases, Confucius argues that the collective groups to which an individual belongs are more important than the individual themselves.

Confucius stresses that children should be obedient and loyal to their parents. In Book 1, Confucius first mentions the obligations children have to their parents. He says that after a man’s father has died, “If, for three years, he makes no changes to his father’s ways, he can be said to be a good son.” Confucius argues that being a good son means not only obeying one’s father while he is alive but also continuing his father’s ways once he has died. This, in turn, stresses the importance of tradition: if sons are to honor fathers by continuing to behave in the same ways that they did, then it is easy to maintain the same traditional customs for generations. This is significant because in the Analects, Confucius often complains about how the Way has fallen out of fashion in modern days. Therefore, a return to traditional ways favors his mission of spreading the Way to more people. In this way, family connection serves as an important vehicle through which the traditional values that Confucius prizes are able to survive. In some ways, family connections seem to be the single most important behavior or value that Confucius espouses. In one moment, “The Governor of She [says] to Confucius, ‘In our village there is a man nicknamed “Straight Body.” When his father stole a sheep, he gave evidence against him.’ Confucius answer[s], ‘In our village those who are straight are quite different. Fathers cover up for their sons, and sons cover up for their fathers. Straightness is to be found in such behavior.’” This moment is interesting because Confucius often highlights the importance of honesty and integrity in the Analects. One would think that a son who turns his father over to authorities for committing a crime exhibits these qualities. However, for Confucius, loyalty to family is more important than integrity to the law. This suggests that family connection is the most important part of exhibiting good character.

The community-oriented values in the Analects also shine through in descriptions of what makes good political leadership and engagement. For instance, Duke Ai, presumably a high-ranking politician in a province, asks Yu Juo how he should cover expenses in his province during a year when the harvest is bad. Yu Juo suggests lowering the taxes, to which Duke Ai responds, “I do not have sufficient as it is when I tax them two parts in ten. How could I possibly tax them one part in ten?” To this, Yu Juo responds, “When the people have sufficient, who is there to share your insufficiency? When the people have insufficient, who is there to share your sufficiency?” While Confucius himself is not present in this conversation, it is an important moment in the book that highlights the important of collective over individual wellbeing. Yu Juo implies that Duke Ai would be selfish to overtax his people—likely depriving them of food and other necessities—to cover his province’s expenses. Yu Juo seems to believe that the wellbeing of the majority is more important than the wellbeing of an individual—even if that individual is a high-ranking politician. At another point, Confucius quotes The Book of History, saying, “Oh! Simply by being a good son and friendly to all his brothers a man can exert an influence upon government. In so doing a man is, in fact, taking part in government. How can there be any question of his having actively to ‘take part in government’?” Here, Confucius equates being a good family and community member with being an effective political leader or participant. This comparison highlights Confucius’s belief that community-orientation is a key aspect to political engagement. He implies that the role of the government is very similar to that of a good son, neighbor, and friend. This further emphasizes the importance of the individual over the collective.

Community-oriented leaders seem to be the political equivalent of Confucius’s stress on the importance of family in personal life. Confucius stresses the necessity of staying loyal to one’s family and of children willingly sacrificing their own individual desires and identities for their parents’ wishes. This stresses the wellbeing of the family unit over individual wellbeing. Similarly, the interaction between Yu Juo and Duke Ai suggests that politicians need to put collective wellbeing over their personal wellbeing even though they are leaders. In both cases, there is a community-oriented value system behind the actions that the Analects suggest laypeople and leaders should take.