Confucius stands alone among the world’s greatest thinkers. Perhaps no other teacher has exerted so powerful a hold over so many people for so long. For two and a half millennia his sayings, preserved and developed by generations of his followers, have shaped the cultural and political life of the world’s most populous nation, and they continue to offer fresh insights for today’s globalised society. This text sets Confucius’s life and teaching in the context of the long history of China, and examines the origins, meanings and influence of one of history’s most enduring philosophical traditions.
