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BEIJING, Sept. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Confucius is considered one of history's most influential philosophers. Over

the past two millennia, his wisdom has been flowing for generations and kept

influencing people around the world.

Emerging 2,500 years ago, Confucian ideas of exchange and dialogue, tolerance

and mutual learning have played an active role in the inheritance of Chinese

civilization and provided inspiration for exchanges and cooperation between

different civilizations.

According to records, Confucius's works were translated into various European

languages in the 16th century and shaped many thinkers in Europe then and

afterward.

The recently held 2022 China International Confucius Cultural Festival and the

8th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations in Confucius's hometown in Qufu City,

east China's Shandong Province, gathered nearly 200 scholars and numerous

visitors from home and abroad to commemorate Confucius's 2,573rd birthday,

embrace his wisdom and explore the common values of mankind in diverse

civilization.

Modern significance of Confucianism

For German philosopher David Bartosch, Confucianism sticks out among other

philosophies of various civilizations. "His impact has been so immense, not

just in China, also Japan and Korea but even on the international level," he

said.

Bartosch said the genius of Confucius is that he provided "intellectual seeds,

which have to be unfolded by everyone who studies his works," unlike his

theoretical peers who often developed "fixed theories."

"He (Confucious) wanted you to unfold these thoughts in your own way, in your

own life and come to your own conclusions," added Bartosch.

He said despite the ups and downs in its long history, Confucian law always

reemerged and provided the foundation to fuse and absorb other elements which

had found a way into Chinese civilization.

"It (Confucianism) is like a growing tree; there are roots to the very ancient

past, but the tree is still growing," he said.

Confucian wisdom allowed for economic development in the countries and regions

that adopted it, and some Confucian ideas have a worldly approach, such as

ideas about future generations and education, said Daniel Bell, dean of the

School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University.

"All these are highly conducive to modernization," he said.

"A gentleman seeks harmony, not uniformity" is a famous quotation from

Confucius. This is a good example that shows that Confucianism is not the way

that many Western commentators would have understood it, Benjamin Cole from the

Department of Philosophy and Social Development, Huaqiao University, said.

The quotation stresses respect for differences of individuals, rather than

encouraging identical views and following the same views, he explained.

In modern times, it resonates with ideas about openness in society, tolerance

and accepting different work, cultures and backgrounds in the same society, he

said.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-09-30/Thousands-of-years-on-Confucianism-still-influences-people-worldwide-1dJj4umiPDO/index.html

SOURCE: CGTN

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=430730

   Caption: A statue of Confucius at the Nishan Cultural Tourism Resort in Qufu City, east

China's Shandong Province. /CGTN