551–479 BCE, traditional
Confucius
The dates are the conventional ones. The Analects is a later compilation, not a book written by Confucius as a treatise.
Confucius, Kong Qiu, is the pivotal figure of the Ru tradition. What we have are sayings and scenes gathered by later hands in the Analects, not a systematic treatise in his voice. The teaching that emerges ties moral life to relationships, ritual, and the work of becoming a person others can rely on. It is a mistake to file this as Western communitarianism, and a mistake to treat it as the opposite of having a self.
Also in the atlas
- Ritual
- Humaneness
- Learning and role
Reading, not a syllabus ranking
- The Analects — A composite record of sayings and conversations, compiled after Confucius’ lifetime.
Questions for reflection
- Which duties would remain if you had never chosen your parents, your place, or your rites?
Confucius is a primary non-Western reference for communal priority and for a moral picture the ethics axis does not capture.