Are the qualities Confucius believed should be pursued
(humanity, wisdom, courage) in
any way akin to Plato's forms--the purest and highest state of
things? Are these the most worthy
and admirable qualities Confucius believed could be attained?
I think they share some similarities. Both Plato and
Confucius were addressing
problems in government, and both argued for virtue as the means
to attain a just society. Plato
went further than Confucius in the account of the world: Plato
defended a dualist view that
Confucius did not adopt.