Confucius and Plato were two of the most respected and widely known thinkers. There philosophies of how people should be governed, what characteristics make for a good leader, and other thoughts have influenced many aspects of the ancient and present world. Confucius and Plato’s ideas have benefited their own civilizations and later civilizations, and they both shared many similarities and differences in their ideas.
First, Confucius, a Chinese thinker and the founder of Confucianism, lived in the state of Lu in 551 B.C.E and passed away in 479 B.C.E. Confucius held a position at the court of Lu, which he lost due to his refusal to comprise his beliefs in the interest of political expediency. Confucius was a practical man whose ideas were very ethical, moral, and political. When bureaucratic institutions were not well developed, Confucius believed that the best way to promote a good government was by filling official positions with educated individuals who possessed a strong sense of moral integrity. Confucius attracted many disciples. Those disciplines combined his teachings and sayings in a work called the Analects. To this day, Confucianism continues to impact political, social, and cultural traditions.
Second, Plato, a Greek philosopher and the student of Socrates, was born in Athens in 428 B.C.E and passed away in 347 B.C.E. Plato has highly influenced various areas in the modern society including literature, academics, and politics. Plato’s influence on modern literature is immeasurable due to his writing, Allegory of the Cave. In addition, Plato pictured a perfect and ideal utopian society and outlined its features and characteristics in his work “The Republic”. Plato influenced the modern society; he created most of the basic questions that are still asked by philosophers today, and he helped lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science.
There are countless similarities that exist between Plato and Confucius. First, Confucius