Ren (Benevolence): the core of Confucian ideology

Confucius cared more for people than horses. Maybe you're asking: what's there to say? Everyone should do that. But do you remember? Confucius lived in a slave society 2,500 years ago.

Ren (Benevolence) is the core of Confucian ideology, as well as the core and basis of his ethical doctrine. He takes ren as his highest moral ideal and standard, which signifies the noblest virtue to be found in humans. lts basic meaning is “caring for people," which was a precocious idea at the time. Because in a slave society, slaves were only treated as tools that could talk, but never as human beings.

Once, the stable in Confucius' home had caught fire. The first question Confucius asked was “Was anybody injured?” instead of “Were any horses injured?” In slave society, a horse was far more expensive than a slave. Confucius cared more for people than horses, which indicated that he was more concerned about humanity.