Confucius believed that the most important virtue a person could have was a respect for the rules of propriety, the rules governing the attitudes of society. In The Analects, he said that “Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.” He believed that without these rules, society would cease to function as a body. He said that it was through strictly following this set of specific rules that men in society would become upright citizens. Key to the rules of propriety was the idea of filial piety, the support and respect of

The last issue that Confucius addresses to benefit society is that of moral perfection. He believed that it was possible for men, with proper focus and training, to attain it. Confucius preached the ideal of the zhunzi, the superior man who cultivated his own virtue through difficult study and a strict adherence to the rules of propriety. A zhunzi is concerned only with the righteous and focuses all of his energy on finding virtue. He was to act before he speaks, then speak according to his actions, as he would always act in accordance to the rules of propriety. The zhunzi was to stand in awe of three things: the ordinances of heaven, great men, and the words of the sage. The rules of propriety dictated that a man must know these ordinances, respect his elders, and take to heart the words of the sage. Even in moments of danger or panic, the zhunzi was never to abandon these rules, as Confucius believed that it was only through adherence to them that a man could become a perfect citizen.

It is easy to see why these two philosophers disagree when one examines their cultures. Confucius lived in a time when “modern” Chinese society was slowly beginning to forget the traditional values and customs that it had once had. Traditionally, Chinese culture was very concerned with having rules to dictate every facet of social behavior, which evolved into the societal guidelines known as the rules of propriety. Confucius, however, turned these societal guidelines into moral guidelines. He hoped that by stressing the dignity of the old ways he could attract new followers and return Chinese culture to its classic ways. Still, the ideas that he taught were already part of society and were not radically different from any other ideas in his society. Socrates, on the other hand, was viewed as a radical in his time and was put to death for espousing his ideas. In Greek culture during the time that he was raised, the ideals of good and bad took a backseat to whims such as revenge and self-preservation. Socrates saw that the laws could not always dictate the correct action to take, and that men must decide for themselves what is the right and wrong of the situation. Thus, his philosophy focused on the pursuit of wisdom, which could dictate the correct actions to take in every situation. Socrates believed that if he could inspire men with his

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