On the Commonality of Confucius and Aristotle on the Theory of Literary and Artistic Aesthetics

Abstract

Confucius and Aristotle as two of the most representative masters, their rich philosophy, education, politics, ethics, aesthetic ideology and so on have had a profound influence on the later generations. Confucius thought has a lot of content about the literary aesthetic theory, and he is the most important founder and contributor of the Chinese literary aesthetic theory. Aristotle was known as an encyclopedic scientist, and his series of works constructed a broad system of Western philosophy, and he was the first to clarify aesthetic concepts in an independent system. Their aesthetic ideology are extensive and profound, affect future generations. This paper will mainly analyze the common ground of Confucius and Aristotle on literature and art theory. Their common points are mainly summarized from the relationship between literature and art and reality, the social functions of literature and art, and the standards of literature and art criticism and so on.