"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?" -Confucius

What is the meaning of this quote?

Respuesta :

What Confucius is trying to get across is, without basic human respect for other people, we're nothing but animals, and people must be civil towards each other to get anything done.

That's my two cents, I'm no expert however.

Confucius´ philosophy (who lived from 551 to 479 BCE in China) revolved around the importance of morality in relation to the person and to the exercise of government, emphasizing social relationships based on respect, civility, correctness, honesty, and justice.

In the passage above, Confucius is stipulating that human cordiality and respect for others are the cornerstones of social relationships, so much so that, as he argues, this feeling of respect for others marks the difference between the beasts and humanity.