Ancient China

Beliefs and Philosophies

The conflicts of the late Zhou period led many Chinese thinkers to question the nature of society and people’s roles in it.

Effort to make sense of chaos led to creation of many new Chinese philosophies, or ways of looking at the world

Of many philosophies created during late Zhou period, two became influential in later Chinese history:• Confucianism• Daoism

New Philosophies

ConfuciusConfucianism based on teachings of scholar named Kongfuzi, better known as Confucius, who thought people should treat one another humanely

Should express love, respect for others, honor one’s ancestors

AnalectsRuler should treat subjects fairly; subjects reward ruler with respect, loyalty

People should respect members of family, devote selves to public service

Confucian ideas spread elsewhere in Asia, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam

Love and RespectBelieved that love, respect had disappeared and was responsible for violence in society; restoring respect for tradition would make society stable

Thoughts on how to improve society collected in book, Analects

Confucianism

Confucianism

• K’ung Fu Tze– Born in 551 BC– Lived during Zhou/Chou dynasty

• Time of lax morality– Wandered through many states, advising rulers

• Writing– Dealt with individual morality– Political power of rulers– Social ethics

• Afterlife– Similar to Buddhist or Taoist

Confucianism

• The Five Relationships – ruler and people– parent and child– older brother and younger brother– husband and wife– between friend and friend

Confucianism• Parts of teaching

– Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc– Hsiao: love within the family

• love of parents for their children• Love of children for their parents

– Yi: righteousness– Xin: honesty and trustworthiness– Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest

Confucian virtue– Chung: loyalty to the state

• Important texts – the Si Shu– Lun Yu: the analects of Confucius– Chung Yung: doctrine of the mean– Ta Hsuech: the greatest learning– Meng Tzu: analects of philosopher Meng Tzu

• Daoism embraced Chinese concept of yin and yang, representing balancing aspect of nature—male, female; dark, light; hot, cold

• Neither can exist without other• Important for two to remain

balanced for perfect harmony• Origins of Daoist teachings

attributed to philosopher named Laozi

• Wrote book called Dao De Jing• Laozi worshipped by some as a

god

Yin and Yang• Unlike Confucianism, which

focuses on improving society, Daoism encourages people to retreat from laws of society, yield to law of nature

• Heart of Daoism is concept of the dao, or the way

• Dao is the limitless force that is part of all creation

• Through the dao, all things in nature connected

• Finding one’s place in nature allows person to achieve harmony with universe

DefinitionDaoism

Taoism

• Loa Tsu (Lao Tzu, Laozi, Loatze)– Lived approx. 604-531 BC– Lived in a feudal society with lots of warfare– Wrote book: Tao-te-Chine (the way of virtue)

• Tao (Dao)– The path or the way (undefinable)– Way to avoid conflict (esp feudal conflict)– Power which surrounds and flows through

all things

Taoism– Balance – between 2 extremes

• no love with out hate• no peace without war• no male without female• no light without dark

– Believers goal: be one with the Tao– Gods are manifestations of the Tao– Time is cyclical, not linear

• Yin & Yang– Yin formed breath of earth– Yang formed the breath of heaven– Pair of opposites seen through out the universe– Intervention of human civilization has upset balance

Taoism• Chi (air, breath)

– Life force that has been entrusted to each person– Developing one’s virtues nurtures the Chi– Being nice to another means they will reciprocate the

kindness– Believe people are compassionate by nature

• Feng Shui (wind & water)– Consult Chinese calendar for birth sign– Use I-Ching (book of changes)– Creates balance between ying/yang, 5 elements and

environment– Seeks to maximize balance of Chi

• Simple balance – no clutter• Sharp angles bad – cut the Chi

Some Lasting EffectsDaoism eventually proved less influential than

Confucianism in Chinese history• Still played major role in later dynasties

• Idea of balance key concept in China for centuries as result of Daoist teaching

• Daoist philosophy led many followers to work for preservation, protection of natural environment

Buddhism• Gautama Siddhartha (63-483 BC)

– Born a prince, raised in luxury– Took 3 trips outside the palace

• Saw old, sick, and dead– Becomes an ascetic (abandons worldly pleasures)

• Search for enlightenment– Medidates under Bodhi tree– God Mara (death and desire) tries to prevent– Finds the ‘middle way’ – between deprivation and

gratification– 4 noble truths and 8 fold path

Buddhism• 4 noble truths

– 1 – all life is characterized by suffering– 2 – suffering is caused by desire/craving– 3 – suffering can be stopped if you stop

desire/craving– 4 – stop desire/craving w/8–fold path

• 8 fold path– Right:

views intentions Speech

livelihood Effort Conduct

concentration mindfulness

Buddhism• Important concepts

– Karma: for every action there is a moral reaction– Dharma: fulfilling your social role – avoids bad

karma– Samsara: cycle of death and rebirth– Nirvana: enlightenment – breaking out of samsara– Bodhisattvas: people who have achieved

enlightenment, stay on earth to help others• Buddha

– Not a god, a man (role model)– Koans – illogical riddles used to gain insight

Legalism• Han Feizi, Shangzi

– Founders, lived 340-230BC– Han Feizi – student who taught Confucianism

• Wrote main text of legalism– Shangzi traced the cause of chaos to growing

population• Strong government is a solution

• Philosophy– The law is the supreme authority– Humans are inherently evil – education cannot

make them better– Only punishment and reward will get people to act

correctly

Legalism• Elements of legalism

– Fa: the law; should be made public and rule the state (not the whims of rulers)

– Shi: legitimacy of rule; the power comes from the position, not the person

– Shu: methods; laws should be strict, there is no place for benevolence, people need a strong hand to rule them

• Conflicts with other philosophies– Dislikes Confucianism way of praising the past– Believes that people should be working rather than

philosophizing– Persecuted all followers of Confucianism – even the

prince– Banned and burned Confucian texts

Legalism• Parts of legalism

– Everyone has the same laws – regardless of origin– Land was privatized and feudalism was done away with– If you refuse to denounce a criminal, you would be cut in

half at the waist; if you identified a criminal you got a reward

– Families would share the reward or punishment of an individual

– Only the farmers and food producers would be free – everyone should be slaves

Contrast

What is one difference between Confucianism and Daoism?

Answer(s): Daoism—retreat from society and commune with nature; Confucianism—improve society

Activity: Take a look at the following situations. For each situation apply the philosophies you have just lok at and determine the behavior that should follow:

Activity: Comparing Philosophies1. A student knows that they are failing a class. Students from each

of these doctrines know they will be in trouble when their parents find out. How do they handle this situation?)

2. A student's friends smoke and are trying to get them to start. How do they handle this situation?

3. A student has just found $20 in the hall. What should they do?4. A student's parents have just spent a lot of money on a new outfit.

The student has been playing around and has gotten ink all over it. What should they tell their parents, or should they?

5. A student really likes a new student in school, but all the other students are making fun of the new student's clothes. How should the first student act?

6. A student knows that an older brother or sister is cheating on tests. How should the student act?

7. A student sees an opportunity to take something they have really wanted, without being caught. How should that student act?