Confucius constructed a complete ideological system of "virtue and virtue": he advocated the virtue and virtue of "benevolence and courtesy" at the individual level. The ideological system of virtue and Taoism is based on the theory of goodness of human nature ("one yin and one yang refers to the Tao, and those who follow it are also good, and those who succeed are also people"), aiming at establishing the human pole ("three-pole Tao"), and connecting with human nature, heaven and tunnel, and the golden mean will become a complete methodological ideological system in due course.
Confucius' theory of benevolence embodies the spirit of human nature, while Confucius' theory of propriety embodies the spirit of etiquette, that is, order and system in the modern sense. Humanism is the eternal theme of mankind, which is applicable to any society, any era and any government, and order and institutional society are the basic requirements for establishing a civilized human society. This humanitarianism and order spirit of Confucius is the essence of China's ancient social and political thought.
The highest ideal of Confucius in his later years is called "Great Harmony". In the world of great harmony, people in the world love each other and all the people in the world, not only their families, but also their parents and children. Children can get warmth and care, lonely people and disabled people can rely on them, men have their own things, and women have a satisfactory home. There is no fraud, no thief, no road to pick up, no door to close at night, everyone is honest with each other, talent selection, and the trip to the avenue is also a public service.
The core content of Confucius' political thought is "courtesy" and "benevolence". In the general plan of governing the country, he advocated "governing the country by virtue", which is the noblest way to govern the country. This strategy of governing the country is also called "rule by virtue" or "rule by courtesy". This strategy applies morality and politeness to the people, tightens the hierarchy, and completely divides nobles and civilians into ruled and ruled. Broke the original important boundary between nobles and civilians.
Confucius lived in Lu, which had a deep tradition of patriarchal clan system in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At this time, the ruling power of the Zhou Dynasty had existed in name only, and there were constant struggles among governors, resulting in the social reality of "losing the king, abolishing etiquette and righteousness, losing political power, and being at home in the world". "No monarch, no minister, no father and no son" became the characteristic of that era. The intensification of social contradictions has hindered the development of productive forces, and people's spirit and beliefs have also been destroyed as never before. These isomorphisms have become the historical origin and social conditions of Confucius' political thought, and "benevolence" and "courtesy" are the basic spirits of his political thought.
Confucius' highest political ideal is to establish a "world for the public" Datong society. The basic characteristics of "Datong" society are: the road is smooth, and "the world is good for the public", so people can "choose talents and talents, talk about faith and friendship", "people are not only relatives, but also only children, so that the old can be supported, the young can be used, and the orphans can be supported", and the conspiracy fraud is not prosperous and the disaster can not be afford. "Well-off society" is a low political goal advocated by Confucius. The basic characteristics of a "well-off" society are: the avenue is hidden, "the world is home", and "every family, every son is their own, and all goods are their own". In line with this inequality between the rich and the poor, a series of laws, regulations and ethics have emerged, such as "taking the son of heaven, being loyal to the father and son, and being brothers and couples". This kind of society is obviously not as perfect as the "Great Harmony" world, but it has normal order, courtesy, benevolence, credibility and righteousness, so it is called a well-off society. This kind of society actually describes the "prosperous time" of class society after the emergence of "private ownership".