Is Confucius a Saint?#

No one is perfect. We commemorate someone not because they are flawless, but because they have done things worth remembering and said words worth preserving. When someone is regarded as a saint by everyone, problems arise.

Confucius is such an ordinary person who has been regarded as a saint for thousands of years. But he is not a saint, and "The Master said" is not the truth.

Confucius was from the State of Lu, with ancestors who were nobles from the State of Song. He studied under Laozi in his early years and began taking disciples around the age of 30. Confucius's teachings emphasized "ritual" (li) and "benevolence" (ren). "Ritual" means emphasizing that people are divided into different social ranks, each with their own rules that cannot be broken. Under this strict hierarchical system, those in power should show benevolence. Such teachings were very popular with despotic monarchs, as they provided theoretical justification for strengthening rule, and appropriate leniency could be excused as "benevolent governance." Confucius's advocacy of "moderation" to the people also made them compliant subjects, easier to rule.

According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Confucius was likely a murderer. He killed Shaozhengmao, a minister of Lu, because Shaozhengmao's teachings conflicted with his own and were attractive to others, using murder to eliminate dissenting voices.

Confucius's private morals were also not exemplary. He practiced domestic tyranny and, despite having a wife, went to the State of Wei to have secret meetings with Nanzi. After he eventually divorced his wife, she died of depression. When his son Kong Li wanted to mourn his mother, Confucius stopped him, and his son also died of depression at the young age of 40.