IB Philosophy 10.2.4 Social Harmony and Political Philosophy Key Definitions

In Confucian thought, government by virtue (de zhi) is the ideal that rulers govern most effectively through personal moral excellence rather than laws, rewards, or punishments, inspiring the people to goodness by the example they set.

Junzi: the Confucian ideal of the morally exemplary person who embodies virtue through disciplined self-cultivation, defined not by birth or rank but by fully realising the virtues appropriate to each of their relational roles.

The Mandate of Heaven (tian ming) is a doctrine developed by Confucian thinkers holding that Heaven grants rulers the right to govern only so long as they rule justly and virtuously, tying political legitimacy to moral accountability.

In Confucian thought, social harmony (he) is the ideal state of ordered relationships in which each person fulfils their proper role, creating a balanced and flourishing community grounded in mutual respect and shared moral commitment.

The Wu Lun are the foundational Confucian framework of five dyadic relationships with reciprocal obligations: ruler and subject, parent and child, husband and wife, elder and younger sibling, and friend and friend.

Zhengming (the rectification of names) is the Confucian doctrine that social order depends on words being used correctly, so that titles, roles, and moral concepts accurately correspond to the realities they describe.