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Michael Schuman

Confucius: And the World He Created Hardcover – March 3, 2015

by Michael Schuman (Author)

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Confucius is perhaps the most important philosopher in history. Today, his teachings shape the daily lives of more than 1.6 billion people. Throughout East Asia, Confucius's influence can be seen in everything from business practices and family relationships to educational standards and government policies. Even as western ideas from Christianity to Communism have bombarded the region, Confucius's doctrine has endured as the foundation of East Asian culture. It is impossible to understand East Asia, journalist Michael Schuman demonstrates, without first engaging with Confucius and his vast legacy.

Confucius created a worldview that is in many respects distinct from, and in conflict with, Western culture. As Schuman shows, the way that East Asian companies are managed, how family members interact with each other, and how governments see their role in society all differ from the norm in the West due to Confucius's lasting impact. Confucius has been credited with giving East Asia an advantage in today's world, by instilling its people with a devotion to learning, and propelling the region's economic progress. Still, the sage has also been highly controversial. For the past 100 years, East Asians have questioned if the region can become truly modern while Confucius remains so entrenched in society. He has been criticized for causing the inequality of women, promoting authoritarian regimes, and suppressing human rights.

Despite these debates, East Asians today are turning to Confucius to help them solve the ills of modern life more than they have in a century. As a wealthy and increasingly powerful Asia rises on the world stage, Confucius, too, will command a more prominent place in global culture.

Touching on philosophy, history, and current affairs, Confucius tells the vivid, dramatic story of the enigmatic philosopher whose ideas remain at the heart of East Asian civilization.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

March 3, 2015
Dimensions

6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

046502551X
ISBN-13

978-0465025510
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Editorial Reviews

Review

O.A. Westad, author of Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750
“A fine account of Confucius' world, and of the use and misuse of the Master's thinking throughout Chinese history. Whoever wants to understand China must start with Master Kong!”

Jon Huntsman, former United States Ambassador to China
“Michael Schuman's book is nothing short of indispensable reading for anyone trying to comprehend the local, regional, and global impact of China and its motivating philosophical underpinnings. Today's China is an extension of its past and Confucius' guiding influence remains at its core. China is incomprehensible without this intellectual framework. To that end, Confucius is a generationally significant contribution.”

Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
“To understand the philosophical heart of East Asia, read this book. In his vibrant and engaging portrait of Confucius, Michael Schuman gives us the sage as we've never seen him, undeniably shaping modern politics, business, and private life for a quarter of humanity. It is a marvel of intelligent research, great reporting, and clear analysis.”

Open Letters Monthly
“It's not easy to write well for non-experts about a deeply foreign system of thought. It's virtually impossible to do so fairly when that system has developed over millennia and continues to animate people increasingly feared as civilizational rivals. But Michael Schuman has done it, telling the story of Confucianism, explaining what makes it unique, and considering with refreshing fairness the challenge it poses to the complacency of western culture — all in a short book composed with the vivid energy of journalism.”

Publishers Weekly
“Part biography, part history, and part analysis of Chinese current affairs, this remarkable book…traces the lasting influence of Confucianism in China, despite enormous political and social changes in Chinese society.”

Library Journal
“A great read for anyone interested in Confucius, philosophy, or culture in East Asia.”

NPR's International Desk's list of Favorite Reads of 2015
“The book has an interesting structure that looks at Confucius from various angles — as a man, a sage, a chauvinist, a businessman — that allows Schuman to track Confucius' life, teachings and relevance over time. Schuman sprinkles easily digestible anecdotes throughout the book including original reporting and observations of his own.”

Winner of the 2015 Nautilus Book Award winner in the Religion/Spirituality of Eastern Thought category

Wall Street Journal
“Lively and well-rounded.... A very satisfying account.”

Asian Review of Books
“Wonderful.... No reader could do better than Michael Schuman as a contemporary guide to Confucius. Confucius emerges from these pages a real human figure, not an icon from the past, and his philosophy is attractive and alive, too.”

Literary Review (UK)
“Schuman has done a difficult thing. He has produced a book introducing new readers to a great subject in plainly written English, while explaining with considerable force the ideas related to that subject, which happens to be one on which academics and politicians hold strongly differing opinions. [An] enlightening and well-balanced book.”

About the Author

Michael Schuman has been a foreign correspondent in Asia for twenty-three years, first with the Wall Street Journal and then as Time magazine's international business correspondent based in Hong Kong and Beijing. He currently writes on a freelance basis for several publications: as a columnist for Bloomberg View and BusinessWeek and features for the New York Times and Forbes.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (March 3, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 046502551X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465025510
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.22 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,239,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #198 in Confucianism (Books)
- #1,549 in Historical Asian Biographies (Books)
- #7,975 in Religious Leader Biographies

Customer Reviews:
43 ratings

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C. Derick VarnTop Contributor: Graphic Novels

Perplexing, interesting, but Schumann has a trouble balancing the entire story

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2016

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Schuman assigns himself a difficult task, dissecting and sharing the extremely nebulous world of Confucianism in East Asia and the shape it has taken in China, Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan. Schumann’s writing for the Wall Street Journal and Time aid him in developing a breezy journalistic style, his marriage into a Korean family give him both an insider and outsider perspective, and his willingness to do the research is laudable. Beyond that, Schumann doesn’t just start with the Analects, but really does try to get into the history of Confucius himself, the history of Qafu, and the strange flexibility of Confucian doctrine.

Schumann gets into the difficulties of dealing with Confucius admittedly: Confucius is a mythic figure and reformer already writing about a past that was mythic to Confucius himself. The layers of mystification are deep. Furthermore, Confucius and Confucianism comes off at first like a Sinological equal to a Hellenic philosophical school, and like Platonism, religious ideas accumulated in vaguely metaphysical notions prior. It’s also important that early Confucianism was relevant on the study of classics existing prior to Confucius himself.

This flexibility in Confucianism makes it hard to pin down and hard to talk about consistently. Confucianism has both democratic and anti-Democratic tendencies, both humane and inhumane elements, but has always been dependent on Imperial patronage. Schuman’s history is interesting and in-depth, showing the development of different elements of Confucianism changing in response to legalism, Daoism, Buddhism, and even Christianity. Neo-Confucianism role in many patriarchal imperial cults becomes clear but so does its deviation from classical Confucianism. Schuman even hints at, but doesn’t go into, the idea that elements of Confucianism as we understand it were promoted by European missionaries.

Schuman’s writings on Confucianism in modern world, and its relationship to 20th century critics is more problematic. Schumann admires Confucius and East Asian culture, but as his last chapter reveals, is actually quite critical of the way it is being used by various governments in East Asia as a means of gas-lighting public order and painting more participatory ideas from democratic societies as Western, foreign, and corrupt. To combat this, however, Schumann often sounds like he is making excuses for Confucian excesses. In other words, Schumann knows his bias but out of respect for his topic, over corrects on the side of apologetics.

I found this book informative, readable, but very frustrating as it almost certainly will make no one completely happy. It isn’t an explication of the Analects. It’s not just a historical discussion of the development of Confucianism, and it is both critical of and apologetic for East Asian society. Schumann has difficulty dealing with post-Deng embrace of Confucius after the excesses of the cultural revolution or the criticism of Singapore’s ruler, Yew, to actually have Confucianism take off in Singapore.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eric Heffinger

The IDEA of Confucius

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2015

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As an American who knew little to nothing about Confucius and Chinese culture, I found this book to be a great introduction to these ideas and the history of the region.
Schuman rolls 2500 years of history into a neat 242 pages. He starts by attempting to tell the story of the "REAL" Confucius, but soon leaves the sage in his grave and instead follows the story of the "IDEA" of Confucius. Each chapter has it's own big idea that he attempts to explain but the book also goes in chronological order as well so that the reader can follow the evolution of the Confucius idea and the history.
I believe that Schuman sums up this book the best in Ch. 8 when he says:
"What is interesting for our story is how Confucius has been perceived across time. His influence has been seen as so dominant, so much a part of daily life in East Asia, that he has received either the credit or blame for whatever was taking place at any given moment. Confucius the hard-charging capitalist was every bit as symbolic of the 1970s as Confucius the archaic feudalist was of the 1910s. Like a great method actor, the sage can take on whatever role he is hired to perform, depending on the script. So much makeup has been caked upon him that he has become barely recognizable."
This book does a fine job of identifying the evolution of these ideas and it makes me think of my own western culture and how the ideas of capitalism and Christianity have been used by leaders to push development and industrialization as well as for their own personal gain.

2 people found this helpful

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Jr

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2018

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good

Helpful

Julie S.

Very readable and informative presentation of the man, his ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017

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Very readable and informative presentation of the man, his impact on East Asian societies and his continuing relevance for the world..

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AlexX

A very history oriented book. This story is really ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015

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A very history oriented book. This story is really interesting although i was looking for an exploration of the philosophy and the rationale behind it.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2017

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Easy to read and understand Good author who writes clearly about a difficult subject and that spans such a long period

2 people found this helpful

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philosopher65

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015

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Good general review

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015

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Great book, great price.

Helpful

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Ismlessism.

Extraordinary!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2021

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This is one of my favourite and one of the best books I have ever read. The book honestly grips you from the introduction and doesn’t ever drop the ball. Confucius the great sage is the main reason why the book or subject is so interesting because Confucius is such a great man and great philosopher. Although Michael Schuman’s writing is brilliant and he gives you the truth clearly with no messing around. The main triumph of the book is that it has made me love Confucianism, especially precepts such as filial piety, devotion to education and how Confucianism is applied to East Asian politics and government etc. I believe we in the west could learn much from Confucianism. Having 1.6 billion adherents, the only reason why Confucianism (as far as I can see) is not as big or so obviously right as Buddhism and Christianity is because unfortunately Confucianism incorporated a little sexism. You really understand the tensions and resistances between eastern and western civilisations and cultures by reading this book. Personally I think in a way that I prefer eastern Confucianism over western individualism and liberal democracy etc. You can’t understand China and East Asia without understanding Confucius and Confucianism. Read this book now.

2 people found this helpful

Adrian J. Smith

The man, and the application of his wisdom

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2016

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Rather than a retelling of the Analects, Schuman's Confucius provides both a history of the Sage, and an overview of the application of his teaching. Central to Schuman's argument is the reality that it's unfair to judge a person upon how others have applied their teachings, therefore the co-opting of Confucius by various leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew, to China's current leadership, is by no means a reflection upon the Sage himself.
As much a defence of Confucianism as an overview of the man's philosophy, Schuman examines how Confucianism has been successful in it's application to the business world, but rather stifling when applied on a political and societal model.
A charge against Confucianism is that it is inherently anti-libertarian, anti-individual, and ultimately, anti-democratic, or at least not compatible with the Western model of democracy, but a closer examination of his work reveals that Confucius was the first democrat, as his teachings long predate Athenian democracy.
China watchers would do well to acquaint themselves with this book, as it has been argued that China will eventually become democratic, but strictly on their terms, and in their way.
However, Schuman's work is by no means limited to China, and covers Confucianism in South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
For those unfamiliar with Confucianism, this is a very readable introduction, and is entirely relevant for China watchers, or observers of East Asia in general.

2 people found this helpful

Tatiana Vila Nova

Condition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2021

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Excellent

Michael

Great Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2017

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very well written book. description of the man himself and the evolution his teachings have taken throughout asia.
Informative, well sourced and well balanced.

GREAT READ!!!

One person found this helpful

andre bezamat

Muito bom

Reviewed in Brazil on January 2, 2018

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Livro excelente, com muita informação mas sem ser maçante. O autor é bastante claro ao passar suas ideias, até mesmo por vezes repetindo mais que o necessário. Mas a leitura é boa e importante, e finaliza com uma bela conclusão, ainda que uma conclusão tudo menos inesperada desde o começo.

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