CHINA’S ANCIENT PHILOSOPHIES

I CAN DESCRIBE LEGALISM, CONFUCIANISM AND DAOISM AND

THEIR ROLE IN CHINESE SOCIETY.

LEGALISM

SHANG YANG

• A belief that rulers should use the legal system to force people to obey laws

• Legalists believe that human nature is wicked and that people do good only if forced to

• Believed government must pass strict laws

• Punishments were needed to make people afraid to do wrong

• Legalists do not want people to complain about the government or question what it did. They arrested

people who did.

• Rulers would burn books that contained different philosophies or ideas.

OTHER LEGALIST PRINCIPALS

• Human nature is naturally selfish

• Intellectualism and literacy is discouraged

• Law is the supreme authority replaces morality

• The ruler must rule with a strong hand

• War is the means to strengthen a ruler’s power

GROUP DISCUSSION: Discuss the PROS and CONS of legalism. Write your thoughts in your notebook.

Questions to ponder: How would legalism be a successful/unsuccessful way to rule a village or city? What are the possible ways a person/group of people would/could react to a legalist ruler? How would you react if your ruler were a legalist?

CONFUCIANISM

CONFUCIUS: 551-479 B.C

• Confucius developed ideas to end conflict and have peace in all relationships.

• He believed that respect for others was ABSOLUTELY necessary for peace and harmony.

• Government leaders should set a good example for people to follow.

THE FIVE RELATIONSHIPS

FATHER AND SON

ELDER BROTHER AND JUNIOR BROTHER

HUSBAND AND WIFE

FRIEND AND FRIEND

RULER AND SUBJECT

• Confucius taught the code of proper conduct for people.

• In Confucianism there are five basic relationships, each with its own duties and proper conduct:

• Confucius believed good conduct and respect began at home.• FILIAL PIETY: treating parents with respect

• Authority should be respected• By following these roles, Chinese people found ways to avoid

conflict.

CONFUCIANISM: The Analects

• The Analects was the single most important work of Confucianism.

• It means, “the conversation”

“Knowing what he knows, and knowing what he doesn’t know, is the characteristic of the person who knows.”

“Making a mistake and not correcting it is making another mistake.”

“The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.”

GROUP DISCUSSION: Follow the same path as you did with Legalism and write your ideas in your notebook.

DAOISM

Lao Tzu: 604 B.C - ?

• Daoists believe that a universal force called the Dao (The Way) guides all things.

• All creatures, except humans, live in harmony with this force.

• Each individual human needed to find their own way. They had to learn to live in harmony with nature and inner feelings.

“ Let nature take its course.”“Go with the flow.”

• Daoists did not argue with good and bad, and they did not try to change things.

• They did not want to be involved with the government.

“Those who speak know nothing. Those who know say nothing.”

Man is unhappy because he lives according to man-made laws, customs, and traditions that are contrary to the ways of nature.

http://users.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/dreaming.html

YIN YANG

• Daoists tried to understand nature and live in harmony with its rhythms.

• Yin and Yang--two things that interact with each other.

• Understanding Yin and Yang helped a person understand how he or she fits in the world.

• To escape the social, political, and cultural traps, one must reject formal knowledge and learning. They must rely on their senses and instinct. They must

discover the rhythms of nature, and they must ignore political and social laws.

YIN: Represents all that is cold, dark, and mysterious.

YANG: Represents all that is warm, bright, and light.

GROUP DISCUSSION: SAME AS PREVIOUS TWO.

SUMMING UP ALL 3 PHILOSOPHIES

LEGALISM: Rule by harsh law and order

CONFUCIANISM: Moral order in society

DAOISM: Freedom for individuals and less government

Avoiding uniformity and conformity WHICH PHILOSOPHY DO YOU MOST AGREE WITH?