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The influence of Confucianism on China
The influence of Confucianism on China
The influence of Confucianism on China
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Jerress C. Askew Professor Nicole Ennis History of World Civilization 1 January 27, 2018 Compare and Contrast the Origins of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism With the birth of their civilization, the ancient Chinese wanted to know what role human beings played within society and the universe as a whole? This question and many others help develop the “hundred schools” of ancient philosophy. In the beginning of Chinese civilization, they believed that the universe comprised of two primary energies, good and evil, light and dark, male and female. In other words, everything had an opposite and finding the balance would lead to a prosperous life and ultimately a prosperous society.
Legalism is an ancient Chinese philosophy stating that a strong leader and a strong legal system, not moral values, are needed to create social order. For example, they raised takes to very high amounts, and forced labor on the people. The Han dynasty abandoned this policy because they did not want to follow the same path the Qin dynasty did and have people rebel over them. This policy was the first for the Han to abandon. The last policy was harsh laws.
The government that was created during The Qin Dynasty created the model of a bureaucracy. Many of the legalistic policies that were set into motion during the Qin dynasty are still seen affecting modern China. Legalism also affects the information that we know about ancient China, this is because during the Qin Dynasty so much history was lost because of Qin Shi Huangdi’s view on what was being written about. Confucianism is a complex system of social and political ethics based on filial piety, kinship, loyalty and righteousness. While Legalistic beliefs are the focus on greater efficiency and less adherence to tradition in which strict adherence to the letter of the law.
The purpose of this was to show people how to be in harmony with their place in life. Legalism is a ruling made by Shi Huangdi, who was a strict ruler in china. The purpose of this ruling was to get the people of china to follow the rule, and if they didn’t there was a very harsh punishment. Although confucianism and legalism have some similarities, but the differences between the two are amazingly clear.
Buddhism was one of the most important influences brought from China to Japan by Korean travelers. It affected Japan’s religion, helped Japan unify the clans , and also lead to the creation of many Buddhist temples. Prince Shotoku was the biggest supporter of Buddhism. At first, Buddhism was not very popular and it was known as, "a foreign concept." However, it quickly became popular among the Japanese people because Buddhist ideas fit into many of the Shinto beliefs.
The years 500-221 BCE are known as the Warring States period in China. During these centuries, there was a great deal of political and social instability throughout China as different states jockeyed for power. This violence made life difficult for many people, and so it is not surprising that some of China’s most important philosophies arose during this time period as ways to cope with social problems. The three philosophies have very different approaches, but all seek to create order from the chaos. Confucianism emphasizes obedience to the social hierarchy, Legalism recommends that leaders enforce harsh laws, and Daoism suggests that its followers take a peaceful approach to circumstances.
There are many great religions of the world. Two very popular ones were Confucianism and Daoism. Confucianism and Daoism have many similarities and differences. The similarities between Confucianism and Daoism are the founders, how the religion started, where it originated, and where the followers worship. Some differences are their belief of gods, the goal of each religion, and the fact that Confucianism is more of a political system for society, while Daoism is more of a personal self improvement.
He also believed that political order would be found by the proper ordering of human relationships. He said that a good government must be filed with people who are well educated and consciences people which are called Junzi. Chinese people built temples to commemorate Confucius. Confucius temples are also called Kong Miao in Chinese. Temples are where people of confucianism worship, and the most known temple is Qufu in Shandong Province.
As Confucius states, “if good men were to govern the domain for a hundred years, they could wipe out violence and put an end to killing,” (Analects 90). While Aristotle and Confucius disagreed on the role of law in society—Aristotle thought that laws could make people moral where Confucius thought that if people could respect their leaders, then they would try to emulate them—the ideas of the two are more similar than they are
Although both Confucius and Mencius have a lot in common with regards to governance, the two do have varying opinions on certain matters such as the legitimacy when rulers are overthrown, and the relationship between the ruler and his people. In precedence to coming up with policies and administrative measures, one has to first consider the issue of human nature as it plays an essential role in the development of a state 's political system. In the Confucian philosophy, the belief is that goodness is innate in humans and that everyone shares this same trait [子曰：“性相近也，习相远也。”] (Analects, 17.2). Mencius further elaborated on this doctrine by stating that it is mankind’s natural tendency to be kind to others, just as water would naturally flow downwards (Mencius, 6A2).
It’s a little bit difficult to understand the cultural and political influences each of these men had on early Chinese government and society. From my understanding and what I’ve gathered from the reading. The main focus and point the Mencius is trying to make are this; In our human nature, we are naturally innocent and good. We are born good and we know what is right and what is wrong.
Lao Tzu to some is considered to be either a Chinese hippy or the first libertarian. (Fresco) Confucius, on the other hand, was generally dedicated to establishing the educated and the philosophically minds of the people of China. Confucius taught about strict order by respecting the relationship in life, such as the self and authority. As previously stated, Lao Tzu was the complete opposite. The Tao Te Ching is filled with examples of how Lao Tzu thought life should be lived.
Confucius encourages his students to be virtuous because this will cause the common people to gravitate towards the servant people because it will give the common people the desire to be better people. They will look up to the servant people have the desire to be more like
Confucius, the proponent of Confucianism, mentions that humans are inherently social creatures that have the capacity of goodness, and if followed, it leads to greater social
CONFUCIANISM INTRODUCTION The ideology of Confucianism, also known as the "Ru" or "The Scholars", originated from Confucius, the first teacher who advocated ritual and propriety, humaneness, learning and the past. Subsequent scholars contributed to Confucianism in different ways, but its core foundation remains as a humanist system that views harmony and virtue as paramount principles in dealing with the relationship between nations, countries and individuals. SUCCESS VS FAILURE: POLITICAL & ECONOMIC STABILITY Confucianism first rose to prominence during the Han dynasty, wherein it was made the state ideology and has since made significant contributions to China's political and economic sector.
