Book description
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have
transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have
inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened,
outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and
destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers,
pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and
helped make us who we are. Perhaps the most widely read thinker of all
time, Confucius transformed Chinese philosophy with his belief that the
greatest goal in life was pursuit of The Way : a search for virtue not
as a means to rewards in this world or the next, but as the pinnacle of
human existence. Confucius [551-479 BC], though of noble descent, was
born in humble circumstances. He believed that politics is only an
extension of morals, and spent ten years travelling through the various
states of China spreading his ideas. When he realised that there was no
way of converting the feudal rulers to his way of thinking he returned
to Lu and spent the rest of his life there teaching his pupils. D. C Lau
has held a number of professorships in the field of Chinese language and
literature.
