ABSTRACT
The root of all Confucian ethical and political thought is 'Jen'. Without comprehending the meaning of this word, no understanding of Confucian philosophy is possible. Confucius replied "To love fellow-men"; in other words this means to have a feeling of sympathy towards mankind. Confucius says, "When one who is 'Jen' desires to establish himself, he must establish others; wishing to elevate himself he must elevate others. The fundamental belief of Confucianism is "Men can develop Tao; Tao does not develop men ". In a word, the Confucian school has only its philosophy of life to offer; and in the philosophy of life there is no postulate save the development of human personality. Confucius' definition of politics takes the same form as his definition of 'Jen'. The ideal state of Confucian political thinking is that every man should develop his fellow-feeling to the maximum degree, and so construct a world in which the doctrine of 'Jen' rules.
