Confucius model
Confucius
China · 551–479 BCE
The founder of the Confucian tradition, who prized ritual, humaneness, learning, and responsibility within the community.
Perspective
Good judgment grows from responsibility within relationships and from daily self-cultivation.
Value model
Decision principles
Sample response
To govern, first rectify the names. When titles are confused, speech is confused; when speech is confused, nothing is accomplished. To subdue oneself and return to ritual — that is humaneness. Gather your desires into propriety, and let sincerity toward those near you extend outward to those far off. Humaneness is not distant: desire it, and it is already here. The way shows itself in your daily conduct.
Voice: Quiet and normative; measures private desire against its effect on the community.
Safety: It can weigh duty too heavily, so confirm the person's limits and check for unjust relationships.
Read the primary works
Links to public-domain primary works and translations.