Two and a half millennia ago, China was in a state of crisis. For centuries, it had been ruled by great central dynasties, the ShangAlso known as the Yin dynasty, which ruled an area of eastern China from circa 1600BC to 1045BC. and the ZhouA royal dynasty of China that lasted 789 years from 1046BC to 249BC. .¹ But now it was coming apart at the seams. Powerful warlords were carving out their own territories and vying for dominance.

Then one man began teaching a philosophy that he hoped would end the chaos and strife. His name was Kong Qiu, but as his reputation grew, people took to calling him "Master Kong", or Kong Fuzi - which in the West would become "Confucius".

Confucius taught the virtues of ethical behaviour, respect, and order. His philosophy helped to end the civil wars, and was eventually elevated into a national religion that defined Chinese life until the 20th Century.

Today, the world is in a state of flux not unlike that faced by Confucius. Wars, uprisings, and economic shocks have become daily occurrences. Times are changing. In England and Wales, for the first time, census data revealed yesterday that fewer than half of the population describe themself as Christian.²

That is why some think we should return to Confucius for inspiration. They say many of his teachings can be useful for us today.

Western philosophy is generally very individualistic. This can lead us to neglect the ways in which we are dependent on others, and the duties we owe to them.

Confucius' thought was very different. He urged his students to recognise the ways in which they were dependent on other people, but also on things. He suggested that we should recognise a kind of agencyIndependence; free will. in the natural world: animals, but also trees, rivers, even the wind.

Seeing the world in this way might encourage us to do more to conserve biodiversity, protect our forests and stop polluting our water supplies. We would see the true potential of the wind and sun to provide us with clean energy.

Confucian ethics can also offer a path towards peace. Today it can seem as if the world is hopelessly divided. No-one can agree on any ideas.

Confucius says they do not have to. Instead of devising firm moral rules that apply in every situation, he advises flexibility and adaptability.

Morality, he claims, is not something we do but something we have. By thinking deeply about our actions and what it means to be a moral person, we can be sure that we will act morally in every situation.

This means two very different actions or ideas can both be moral, provided they are underpinned by intellectual honesty and kindness.

It is not strictly necessary, therefore, for people to agree on what they should do in their lives. What matters is that we all live according to the standards that we have set ourselves.

Finally, Confucius thought that rulers should be moral above all else. He argued that we have a duty to obey those who govern us - but only if their standards of personal behaviour merit it. If rulers are good people, he claimed, then the whole of society will be good as well; but if they are not, then everything will collapse into chaos.

Many Confucians took this to mean that rulers who commit unjust or immoral actions should be overthrown. Today, we might prefer to vote them out in an election.

Yes: The values that Confucius taught are timeless. Western ideas about individuality and man vs nature got us into this mess, and Chinese ideas of harmony and respect will get us out.

No: Reformers in China, Japan and Korea have long criticised Confucianism for teaching mindless submission to authority. We should come up with new ideas, not reheat old ones.

Or... Confucius himself would never tell us to follow his ideas blindly. The genius of his philosophy is that it can always be adapted to any circumstances. We should make flexible use of his ideas.