Confucius’ philosophy of ‘filial piety’ – a fervent respect for one’s parents and ancestors – is still central to Chinese society, even among those who aren’t followers of Confucianism. This brief animation from BBC Radio 4’s A History of Ideas series explores why Confucius believed that the virtue of honouring one’s predecessors was vital for a successful, harmonious society.
Why Confucius believed that honouring your ancestors is central to social harmony
12 October 2017
videoPhilosophy of religion
What Zen Buddhist riddles reveal about knowledge and the unknowable
5 minutes
videoFamily life
A son of China’s former one-child policy remembers the sibling he never had
8 minutes
videoMeaning and the good life
How the Stoic embrace of death can help us get a grip on life
5 minutes
videoHistory of ideas
Why Plato believed that philosopher kings – not democracy – should run the state
2 minutes
videoValues and beliefs
How the philosophical paradox of aspiration is resolved by a new theory of self-creation
31 minutes
videoKnowledge
Teaching philosophy at school isn’t just good pedagogy – it helps to safeguard society
5 minutes
videoDemography and migration
An immigrant mother and her daughter finally explore the things they had left unsaid
5 minutes
videoReligion
Why some Chinese millennials are taking up the hermit’s life in the mountains
11 minutes
videoPoverty and development
Why millions of children are left to raise themselves in the Chinese countryside
15 minutes