The philosophies of ancient China had a major impact on their society. Three major philosophies of China all developed during the same period. These included Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. During this time, there were power struggles between warring kingdoms, and this resulted in political uncertainly. While all three philosophies had an impact on ancient China and presented different ways of life for society, Confucianism stands out above the rest. Confucianism had the greatest impact on the development of social order and political organization, and greatly impacted the way people lived in ancient China. Confucianism was founded by Kongfuzi, also known as Confucius. His philosophy influenced Chinese government and culture. The main …show more content…
Daoism was founded by Laozi, and it is said that he wrote Dao DeJing (The Classic of the Way and It’s Power). Daoism is based on Dao (the way), the force that gives order to the natural universe. It taught that if you lived in harmony with natures to Dao, nature is full of opposites and balancing those is called yin (shaded) and yang (sun lit). Daoism taught rulers to be weak and less harsh. Their main influence was on writing, art, and Chinese thought. Rulers that ruled the least were the best. Daoism believed that the greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be. In “The Sayings of Lao Tzu”, Daoism stated that “so long as I do nothing, the people will right themselves. If only I keep from meddling, the people will grow rich. If only I am free from desire, the people will come naturally back to …show more content…
And some might say that Daoism had a greater impact because some Chinese people still follow Daoism today, such as people in Taiwan. All three of these philosophies (Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism) had an impact on ancient China. They not only changed the people but also affected the way the government functioned and ruled ancient China. These philosophies provided very different models for society. Some offered a more peaceful and free way of life, while another provided a much harsher and stricter way of life. Of all of them, Confucianism had the greatest impact on ancient China, influencing the culture, government and people, and creating a good model for a peaceful and just society. Many of these principles can still be seen in Chinese culture
Confucius stressed the importance of relationships in society, and at the same time Daoism was developed which stressed harmony with nature. Each was a response to the warring states period. After Huangdi took control, he quickly tried to put down these other philosophies. He condemned Confucian scholars to death and had books burned that contained philosophies that disagreed with him. This increased his totalitarian rule even more because people could not question him.
During and after the Warring States period of Chinese history, many different philosophies were developed. One of these such philosophies is Legalism. In Legalism, people believe that no one can be trusted, and that everyone is selfish and evil. It teaches that the only way to get work done is with strict laws and harsh punishments. On the complete opposite side, in Daoism (a.k.a. Taoism), people believed that you don’t really need much of a government. Even the ruler doesn’t really do anything much. They just let the people live. The entire point of Daoism is to achieve “oneness with the Dao,” which is the path, or road to living in harmony with the world and nature. Another philosophy, Confucianism, is all about living in harmony with other people. It basically teaches you to respect your elders, people with more power than you, and people who have more knowledge and experience than you. By following any one of those philosophies, people try to live a good life by changing their
There are many Chinese Philosophies within the world, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, in which they have all originated as a result of the collapse of the Zhou dynasty in China, however, they do not all have the same beliefs.
The geneses of the three philosophies were based on the teachings of Confucius, and show how the nature of Chinese history is cyclical. Confucius was born in 551 BCE during the Chao dynasty, about 100 years after a period known as the Warring States. Political unity was unstable during Confucius’ time and consequently, China had broken into small states that were constantly at war with one another. Confucius wanted to solve these political problems and help restore order in his country and therefore created his “school of thought” ...
Regarding religion, Chinese culture saw the emergence of Confucianism and Buddhism as the major influence. Confucianism stressed filial piety which meant respecting elders and superiors, ruling righteously, and obeying commands and orders. Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius. Buddhism was brought to China, but originated in India and was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Followers of Buddhism worshipped Buddh...
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
The Shang Dynasty was very influential in the formation of Confucianism. This dynasty was a theocracy; the rulers at that time were considered divine. As a matter of fact, the term Shang-di arose, meaning the supreme ruler in heaven, or the lord above. The Shang-di was said to have human like qualities but was still considered divine. This term brings to mind the idea of a form of monotheism, but that is not exactly what it was going to turn into. Also during this time, ancestor worship became important. There was a belief that there were ancestral and nature spirits that could influence the material world that the worshipers lived in. It was believed that if the spirits were unhappy, bad things would happen to the worshiper. Another common practice during that dynasty with a religious tone to it was scapulimancy. Scapulimancy was divination, or a type of fortune telling that involved animal bones. This early Chinese dynasty laid a good early foundation for the development of the more religious aspects of Confucianism.
Confucius thought that society needed to return to the Dao while Daoism teaches that we need to follow the Dao or else we will not continue to live. Confucius was “not the one who was born with knowledge, [but is the] one who loves the past and is diligent in seeking it” (Confucius and the Analects 51). Both traditions support a following of the Dao, but their approach to living the Dao is very different. Confucianism is very explicit in what is right and wrong. A major source of information for what is right and what is wrong are the Analects, where conversations “focus on the practicalities of interpersonal relationships, personal cultivation in the context of those relationships, and the relationship of personal cultivation on the part of rulers and ministers to the conduct of government” (Confucius and the Analects 42). This is important because it shows how important Confucius thought that human and social relationships were to and how they can help society return to the old ways. In section 2.3 of the Analects, Confucius
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
Confucianism, one of the most renowned Chinese ideologies, was begun by Confucius, a Chinese scholar born in 551 B.C. At the time of his birth, there was crisis and violence occurring in China. In order to combat this problem, Confucius came up with the five relationships. Following these “relationships” (ex. Ruler and subject, older brother and younger brother) would help to establish harmony between all. The majority of these relationships pertained to family matters, which went hand in hand with Confucius’s stressing of filial piety, or respect shown by children for their parents and elders. This single value led to many changes in people’s daily life and attitudes.
1. The warring states of China were united through a combination of philosophical and religious traditions. One of the first answers to the problem was Legalism. Legalism was created by Han Fei, who believed that an empire would only succeed if it imposed strict laws on its people to discourage bad behavior. Legalism quickly fell out of favor after the end of the Qin Dynasty because of its harshness. The successor to the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, adopted Confucianism. Confucianism was not really a religion, but more of a philosophical outlook on life. Filial piety, social harmony, and ethics were now emphasized. The final major school of thought that integrated Chinese culture was Daoism. Daoism was based on the concept of nature, and urged people to "disengage in public life" and to seek out nature instead.
Daoism and Confucianism share religious principles. The first principle is education. The Civil Service exam is an example because the students took the exam to determine their status in society. The second example is moral improvement of family life. Family life of Daoism compares to filial piety hierarchy element.
Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the same time, its modern value is excavated by many countries in the world, and its international influence is also growing with the rise of China.
Confucianism is a religious philosophy formed by the Chinese philosopher Kung-fu-Tsu. This philosophy came out of need during the warring states period of Chinese history. K'ung-fu-Tsu was a teacher at the hundred schools. His prime concern was the improvement of society. Confucianism has no gods, and the only written history of this religion is in the Analects, a collection of his responses to his disciple's questions. K'ung-fu-Tsu believed that the improvement of society was the responsibility of the ruler and that the quality of government depended on the ruler's moral character. This new way meant concern for others and adherance to the golden rule. Confucianism has had a greater and longer lasting influence on China than that of any other religious philosophy.
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.