History Alive The Ancient World By Bert Bower

845 Words4 Pages

In the book “History Alive The Ancient World” by Bert Bower, chapter 21 is about the Three Philosophies, and how there were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Everyone knows there was a 500 year war, the Mandate of Heaven, and Feudalism in ancient China that led to political chaos. Some know it was described as how the governors of China wanted to use philosophy to solve the problem. The three solutions that had the best shot were Confucius, the most famous philosopher in Chinese history. His teachings aimed to maintain peace and order within the Chinese government. According to these teachings, the best rulers were those who ruled the least. Those who followed Legalism believed that most people are naturally selfish. Left to themselves, Legalists …show more content…

In this explanatory essay, I will explain what the perfect "mix" of these philosophies would look like in the "perfect teacher." The first philosophy was Confucianism. Confucianism is based on the teachings of Kongfuzi, who is called Confucius by Western society. Confucius lived from about 551 to 479 B.C.E.. He was born in the small state of Lu, in eastern China. “The goal of Confucianism was to achieve a just and peaceful society” (2). This shows what Confucasiam wanted to have. According to Confucianism, there are five basic relationships between people In the book, Bower states, “According to Confucianism, there are five basic relationships between people: ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, older sibling and younger sibling, and friend and friend” (2). This explains the five basic relationships for Confucianism philosophy. People in the five basic relationships had to act nice. Bower states, “In return, those with authority, such as rulers, fathers, husbands, and older siblings, must set a good example. They should be kind, honest, wise, and faithful. Confucius instructed, “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you”