Was Chinese thought primarily concerned with God and the afterlife?.
Chinese thought was very transitional. It consisted of views of highly learned, wise men. One view over time changed and began to be part of another view and then that view undergone changes when a new leader came into power and became part of the following view and so on. Primarily these views of thought of the Chinese were not concerned with God and the after life. These views did vary from philosopher to philosopher, but ultimately never involved information of an after life or a God. Some known, learned, men who thought of these way were Confusius, Mencius, Xunzi, and Laozi. These men were philosophers and had different beliefs and feelings for the human race.
Confucius (551-479 B.C.) addressed the problem of political and social order in a straight forward and self-conscious way. His disciples called him Kong Fuzi or "The Master Philosopher Kong." He insisted on beliefs and principles which frequently clashed with state policy. When he past away, his student put together a book of all of his sayings and teachings. It is called the Analects. From it we find out that he didn't address abstruse philosophical questions because he thought they wouldn't help to solve the political and social problems of his day. He believed a good government should fill official positions with individuals who were both well educated and extraordinary conscientious. Confucius took a broad view of public affairs and didn't allow personal interests to influence their judgments. This philosopher encouraged students to have high ethical standards and to hone their faculties of judgment and analysis. He also believed that to gain influence in a larger society and to possess personally self-control you must be a "superior individual" or Junzi. To form Junzi you must first possess ren, li, and xiao. Ren is the attitude of kindness. Li is a sense of property such as to be curious and respect elders and superiors.
