by Mariya G

Created on: July 11, 2008   Last Updated: September 08, 2011

Only those who are worthy should rule. Now that's a novel idea, albeit a very old one. It comes from Confucius (Kongfuzi), a brilliant thinker and politician who lived approximately 2,500 years ago in China's Kingdom of Lu. Surrounded by corruption, nepotism, cronyism, and general ineptness at all levels of government Confucius, who was a Justice Minister, was thoroughly disgusted and concerned by what he witnessed throughout his political career. For years he tried to influence various officials, including the Duke of Lu, to change certain practices and to promote only meritorious candidates but his complaints fell on deaf ears. So he resigned and began his career as a traveling orator and teacher.

"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," says Confucius in Book 2 Chapter 1 of the Analects. In his vision the leader of the people represents the highest virtue. He is honest, benign, fair, and modest, and takes the job of ruling his people very seriously. As such, he only promotes those people who have demonstrated similar qualities and teaches others how to build better character through learning and moral education.

In Confucian utopia all government officials are true public servants whose character is beyond reproach. They love their people as if they were their blood relatives and treat them all with respect. Most importantly they lead by example constantly inspiring others to be virtuous.

He believed that virtue was contagious; that once the leaders become good the rest of the country would follow their example. And a country where the government is exercised by means of virtue and where good character is praised above all else is a country where people prosper and live in peace.

"If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." Book 2 Chapter 3

While Confucius was a supporter of the rule of law he realized that the threat of punishment only goes so far. Morality was the highest good in his mind and superseded most legal considerations. People of good character would not break laws not because of some threat of retribution but because it was in their nature to do what is right. Of course people of impeccable virtue would not really need too many laws to guide their conduct because being good citizens would be second nature to them.

Confucius often reminded people he spoke to that the rulers really serve at the pleasure of the people. The country and all its resources belong to the citizens, collectively, and not the rulers. He believed that the government should be reminded of their obligations to the people and start acting as custodians rather than masters. We see the seeds of democracy in his view of government even though the officials are not to be elected by the people but rather appointed by those at the top. His unmistakably communitarian ideas require that everyone, including the rulers, be good citizens first. That way everyone would act for the good of the country, first, placing very little emphasis on his own interests.

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