The Confucian Cycle

China’s Sage and America’s Decline

2,500 years ago, the Chinese sage, Confucius, observed that all governments follow a cycle: from unity, through prosperity to stagnation, then to collapse and anarchy. He taught that when government officials sought personal power or wealth instead of taking care of the people, society lost the “Mandate of Heaven” and fell apart. By “Mandate of Heaven,” Confucius meant that God Himself had directed how society should work. Chinese history shows 15 or 20 collapses when government lost virtue and the country broke apart in civil war, but whenever the Chinese followed Confucius’ rules, Chinese society worked well. From his day to ours, civilizations all over the world have followed the same cycle Confucius observed. Today’s United States is well into the “stagnation” phase and many observers predict a collapse. But America has an advantage Confucius never imagined. Unlike the Chinese, America’s voters have the power to replace their rulers and reform their government without armed revolution. The Taylors’ wide-ranging tour through history, culture, and modern news sheds new light on how the past both predicts the future and can be used to alter it for the better.