Three Chinese Philosophies
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism
Long, Long Ago, During the Zhou Dynasty
In a Middle KingdomFar, Far Away . . .
Lived a Scholar Named Confucius!
• Name: Kungfu Tze
• From a lower noble family
• Sought a government official job
• Goal: A Peaceful, Harmonious Society
Basic Confucian Beliefs
• Man is good, if good examples are set for him
• Filial Piety - devotion, loyalty to family
• Obedience and respect for authority
• Education is the only equalizer
• Rulers should lead by setting a good example
Confucius also said . . .
Confucius said:
Do not do to others
what you would not want
done to you
FILIAL PIETY
“A Son should not stray far from his parents while they are alive . . . parents, when alive, should be served according to ritual; when dead, they should be buried according to ritual; they should be sacrificed to according to ritual."
Five Key Relationships• Ruler and Subject
• Husband and Wife
• Parent and Child
• Older and Younger Sibling
• Friends
• Unequal Relationships (Kow Tow)
Confucius believed that if people performed their familial roles properly, they would perform their roles in society and government properly.
Confucius: In education there is no class distinction.
• But in ancient China only the sons of wealthy nobles could have the opportunity to become educated.
Confucius said:
“If the Ruler is upright, then the People will be upright”. The emperor's role was like that of a father: he would love his subjects as if they were his children, and they in turn would show loyalty and respect for him.
Remember the Mandate of Heaven?
What were signs that a ruler was NOT upright and had lost the Mandate?
Impact of Confucianism
• After his death, Confucius’ disciples wrote his sayings in “The Analects”
• During the Han dynasty, it became the basis of Chinese government bureaucracy (civil service exams were based on Confucian ideas and ancient Chinese books)
• It influenced social life, government and education for over 2000 years.
Communists tried to end Confucian ideas in the Mao era
• Children were encouraged to denounce parents who were capitalist or Western.
• The government wanted loyalty to the state, not the family.
• Yet in both Confucianism and Communism loyalty to an authority or group is important.
• Confucianism was not successfully ended by Mao.
What does Star Wars have to do with the Chinese Philosophy
Daoism?
So What is Daoism?
• Lao Zi (Lao Tze) lived in the Zhou dynasty as well
• It was a period of warring states, so he, too, wanted a philosophy to bring peace and harmony to China
• He sought harmony through following the intuitive way of nature. . .
Lao Zi
• Little is known about him
• May have been a clerk in the imperial archives
• Wrote the Dao de Jing “The Way and its Power”
• Disappeared westward
What is the Dao?
• is mysterious and profound;• cannot be explained in words;• is the source of all life;• is always in motion;• permeates everything but
cannot be pinned down;• cannot be changed by
humans;• can be a source of power for
humans who act in accord with it.
Daoists
• Have an intense love of nature and affirmation of life
• Sought physical health, vitality, longevity and even immortality
Daoist landscape art
Wu Wei
• Just be
• Take no specific action
• Offer no resistance
• Go with the flow of nature.
• Emptiness
In harmony with nature
Daoist influences
Chinese science and inventionMath, Astronomy
Summary of Daoism
Harmony with Nature
Intuition
Legalism
• Qin Dynasty Emperor Shuhuangdi
• Great Wall linked
• Centralized power
• Allowed agriculture and war
• Burnt all books
Han Feizi
• Believed man is bad
• Punishments must be harsh
• Similar to Machiavelli in “The Prince”