Impact of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism on Ancient China

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The Chinese “Big Three” Philosophies
“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” This is a quote from Confucius, addressing the importance of teaching and the value of peace. Confucianism was not the only philosophy developed in ancient China. During the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States, chaos existed everywhere. In order to restore peace into the society, three different ideologies with distinct approaches for order emerged. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism would play a great role in politics, society, and the artistic and intellectual activities in China.
To begin with, the three philosophies of classical China would have substantial effect on the government. Confucius’s teachings focused on …show more content…

For Confucianism, there could be a great potential for the government to make the lives of people more efficient by construction projects, technological advancements, and improved products by asking people to finish their portion of duty. That way, the society would flourish and left numerous legacies behind. Although there would not be a lot of improvements for the Daoism societies, people could record their way of living down so that future generations could learn and follow the principles of this philosophy. As the legalist societies usually had a strong and centralized government, they would order people to do a lot of hard work in order to rule the society efficiently. Though they would leave a great number of legacies behind, people were manipulated and treated badly. As a result, the positive and negative sides of legalist rule would be evident. In conclusion, Confucianism, Daoism along with Legalism would all have considerable effects on the different aspects of culture. Confucianism would make the society prosper; Daoism keeps the society as it is with peace; while Legalism would only make the society peaceful for a while. The different histories and consequences of the ancient Chinese dynasties, such as the Han for Confucianism, the Tang for Daoism, and the Qin for Legalism, all fits with the analysis of how the philosophies affected daily Chinese

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