Abstract
Power can be knowledge, when we think of, in Foucauldian terms, the role the system of social institutions plays in legitimating, sustaining, and even creating types of discourse known as “knowledge.” In this paper, I share the story of how the historical Confucius was transformed into a “sage” in ancient China and use it as an example to explore how knowledge can just be a function of institutional power and needs. The historical Confucius was not a success story. Nonetheless, he was “redeemed,” after death, in writings attributed to him by generations of his disciples. He was also transformed from a frustrated old man to a great “sage” honored by the imperial court of the West Han dynasty hundreds of years later, with the Analects canonized. Thereafter, the Analects became the fountainhead of Chinese philosophy, as the imperial rulers felt the political need to institutionalize Confucianism as a state ideology. However, Confucius did not create Confucianism. It is anyone’s guess how he became its founder, but one thing would seem certain: If not Confucius, then Lifucius, Wangfucius, or whoever-fucius would be there to take his place. A figure head had to be institutionally set up to mark a system of ideology. This may explain why the historical Confucius got transformed from a “career failure” all the way up to “the sage of sages.” In short, the “wisdom” of Confucius, together with the Confucian canon, was institutionally sanctioned, promoted, and even created for political reasons: Power is knowledge.
Presenters
Yong-Kang WeiProfessor, Liberal Arts, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Knowledge, Power, Social Institutions, Confucius, Confucianism
