Transcript Chinese Schools of Thought

Chinese Schools of
Thought
Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism
Confucianism
Founder
 Philosopher
Confucius 551-500
BC
 Text Analects: book of sayings
collected by his students
Concerns of Confucius
 Worldly
goals important such as
how to ensure social order and
good government
 Little interest in religion
Teachings:
 Harmony
results when people
accept their place in society:
 Older people superior to
younger ones
 Men superior to women
Duties and Responsibilities
 Superiors
should care for inferiors
& set example
 Inferiors owed loyalty and
obedience to superiors
 Women ensured stability of family
and promoted harmony
Filial Piety
 Respect
for parents
 Most important of all
 Held above any other duties,
even loyalty to state
Government
 Confucius
believed people
naturally good
 Best ruler was virtuous man
who led by example
Education
 Put
great faith in education for
men
 “learning and practice sets them
apart”
Legalism
Founder
 Philosopher
Hanfeizi 233BC
Nature of man
 Mans
nature is evil
 Goodness is acquired
 Greed was motive for most
conflicts
 Scoffed that people would follow
example of a good ruler
Way to achieve order
 Only
way is to pass strict laws &
enforce them with harsh
punishment
Ruler
 Strength
not goodness was
rulers greatest asset
 Ruler alone possesses power
 Many feudal rulers chose
feudalism to keep order
Daoism
Founder
 Mysterious
figure known as
Laozi
 Lived around time of Confucius
 Text: The way of Virtue
Daoism in Practice
 Focuses
on the universe as a whole
 Reject conflict & strife
 Focuses on virtue of yielding
 Many turn away from society
becoming hermits or mystics
Government
 Viewed
governments as
unnatural
 Gov. cause of many problems
 Best gov. is one that governed
the least
Daoism as a Religion
 Evolved
into a popular religion
with gods & magical practices
 priests made charms
 Experimented with Alchemy
(transform metals into gold)
 Made advances in science
(gunpowder)
Buddhism in China
 Became
popular in times of
crisis
 Promise of salvation
 Buddhism in China blended
with Confucianism and Daoist
traditions
 By
400, spread throughout
China
 Large Buddhist monasteries
became important centers of
learning, literature & the Arts