Let's go to the Thought Bubble. Confucius was a minor official who lived during the warring states period and developed a philosophical and political system he hoped would lead to a more stable state and society. He spent a great deal of his time trying to convince one of the powerful kings to embrace his system, but while none ever did, Confucius got the last laugh because his recipe for creating a functioning society was ultimately adopted and became the basis for Chinese government, education, and, well, most things. So Confucius was conservative. He argued that the key to bringing about a strong and peaceful state was to look to the past and the model of the sage emperors. By following their example of upright moral behavior, the Chinese emperor could bring order to China. Confucius's idea of morally upright behavior boils down to a person's knowing his or her place in a series of hierarchical relationships and acting accordingly.