Analects is a book of collected sayings of Confucius (Kong Zi, 551-479 B.C.). It is one of the most important texts of Confucianism. This classical text has been translated by a lot of Western people, and remains a hot topic in Chinese Studies (or Sinology). Herbert Fingarette's book Confucius -- the Secular as Sacred focuses on "Li", one of the core concepts about "human nature, comportment and relationships" in Confucianism. As a professional philosopher, the author is interested in philosophical interpretation of Analects. Actually, he has given the first such reading of Confucianism in the West. That is, he has touched upon subjects in Confucianism that a philosopher in the West will pay attention to. In order to understand the Confucian classic, Herbert Fingarette did not stop at reading many translated versions of Analects, he went further (or back) to studying the original text. By so doing, he has managed to surpass the "interpretations" already done by scholars from theology, psychology, anthropology and other fields of study, and to grasp the suggestiveness of the original, thus stepping closer to the heart of the Confucian teaching. This report is based on my recent reading of Herbert Fingarette's Confucius -- the Secular as Sacred and my own understanding of Confucianism. What enables Fingarette to approach Confucianism as a philosophy and Analects as a philosophical book (not a "Bible") is that he has found that Confucianism is more concerned with human life, human relationships and social order. The teaching of Confucianism has provided the basics of the world outlook, modes of thinking, values, and behavioral norms for the Chinese since it came into being some two thousand years ago. In this sense, Confucianism is the most influential philosophy in China. Confucius, as the founder of the teaching, becomes the greatest thinker, philosopher, and educator in Chinese history. Confucius's disciple and the followi...
