Confucianism and its Modern Values: Confucian moral, educational and spiritual heritages revisited

Abstract This article argues that what makes Confucianism a living tradition in the modem world cannot be any fixed pattern of familial, social and political life. The modem relevance of Confucianism is in its moral and spiritual values. Among these values, its concern about moral responsibilities, its emphasis on the importance of transmission of values, and its humanistic understanding of life, are the key elements for the Confucian relevance to the future, and will make a contribution to an ethic of responsibility, give a new momentum to the establishment of a comprehensive education system, and help people in their search for the ultimate meaning of life in the age of the global village.