Confucius was the most famous philosopher, political theorist and a teacher in china who stressed on the significance and characteristics of good governance. In his teachings, he explored some of the essential aspects that make up a good or rather an ideal government.
Drawing from the Analects, the role of the government is ascertaining that the welfare of the citizens is well-taken care. He was against governments that mistreated its people. In The Analects, Confucius says, “”If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfill the requirements of that name?” (Analects, Part 4 Par 6). According to him, good government rules by using moral force and not physical force. He noted that an ideal leader should embody virtue. “He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it” (Analects, Part 2 Par 1). Drawing from this, a good government should express virtue by their unfailingly humane treatment of the people they serve. As a result of such treatment, the people are likely to follow such leadership voluntarily and eagerly.
Confucius also asserted that for a government to be fair, it should have a good ruler. Some of the characteristics of a good ruler making up an ideal government are; a person with the desire to learn, make an effort to attain benevolence, has wisdom, applies fair treatment to others, righteous, trust worth and loyal. “It is only the truly virtuous man, who can love, or who can hate, others” (Analects, Part 4 Par 3). Here, Confucius was painting the picture of an ideal ruler who is able to form a perfect government. He shows the importance of being righteous. Therefore, an ideal ruler is one who acts right by administering fair treatment to their followers.
Summing up, Confucius was so interested in illustrating how a good government should be. From the essay, it is clear that he was against dictatorship and always advocated for a government that prioritized the needs of its people.
Works Cited
Confucius. “The Internet Classics Archive | The Analects By Confucius”. Classics.Mit.Edu, 2020, http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html.
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