More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of the thoughts of lao tzu
How are eastern and western religions different
How are eastern and western religions different
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
and you will be smart to not do the same mistake. People will not follow any rules if their is no goverment that is giving out orders. 3. Compare this excerpt to the excerpt of the Tao Te Ching contained in "Laozi on Dao" (p. 188 in the APWH textbook). These two traditions -- Taoism and Confucianism -- have coexisted in China for thousands of years.
These documents express behaviors as they stress a developing understanding of man’s relationship to the real life surrounding him. Document 1 focuses on the codes of acceptable behavior in terms of Karma. The concept is that individuals are no more than the impression produced by their actions, Karma being the controlling factor. It can result in bad or good behaviors. Document 3 focuses on the codes of acceptable behavior in terms of respecting your elders.
This is sharp contrast to the Confucian ideology of
Lao-Tzu’s writing is mainly based off the religion Taoism. This type of religion believes that the way of the universe is the natural way of life and that it shouldn’t be interfered with by man. Lao-Tzu believes that one shouldn’t have total control of the government, that everything should run its course as it is supposed to do not as the humans want to make it. He believes that the ruler should be carefree and should not rule forcefully but be kind and silent. That he should stay in the shadows
Throughout my 8th grade journey I have been forced to encounter many characters and only one upstander stands out to me as he possesses both the empathy and courage. While learning about this character I was struck with the lack of characters with empathy from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is because it is the 1930s and we are in Maycomb,Alabama. Slavery has been forced to a halt in 1865, however the South refused to believe that they could be equal the black community. They created unfair laws, Jim Crow Laws, and treated the blacks like trash.
Lao Tsu once said "If a little kingdom is lowly towards a great kingdom it will take possession of the great kingdom", on the other end Niccolo Machiavelli argues that a leader not act lowly, but be feared by his people and other rulers. Christine Pizan adds in, that a ruler not be feared or lowly but to be mutually respected. However, each ruler cannot obey either teachings without employing hypocrisy, the act of behaving differently from the own perceived beliefs or moral code. To follow Lao Tsu is to humble oneself, with the intention of gaining more, by listening to Machiavelli one must use deceit to appease and maintain efficacy of a government. To adhere to Pizans teachings is to make use of relationships often with the
Confucius and his disciples believed that people had a natural sense of empathy and that we owed it to one another to be kind to each other. This is a really big belief in modern society as well. We are taught as children that we should be kind to one another and care of one another. This has been a teaching throughout the centuries of human existence, and this isn’t just mentioned in the writings of Confucius and his disciples it’s also in the writing of other literary works as well. The Bible tells it reads to, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you,” (Ephesians 4:32).
Every society has a set of principles with the expectation that everyone should follow them. In Mao Tse-Tung’s letter, he writes about his own personal beliefs. However, they greatly contradict what is known to be moral. William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth reveals an ambitious man prepared to carry out any action in order to achieve what he wishes, no matter how inhumane his actions are. Macbeth’s motives and actions coincide with Tse-Tung’s views.
Confucius, Aristotle, and Lao-Tzu—all incredibly influential thinkers—did not always agree on how one ought to live; where Aristotle believed that thought or study led to virtue, Lao-Tzu placed focus on inaction, and Confucius taught that rituals paved the way to the best life. A few ideas, however, tie Confucius closer to Aristotle than to Lao-Tzu. Because Aristotle also placed importance on names, emphasized the need to find a mean of behavior, and believed that rulers should most critically be moral, Confucius would have preferred Aristotle to Lao-Tzu. Names—Aristotle utilizes them, even though he recognizes the difference between what exists in reality and the form represented by its name, while Lao-Tzu, on the other hand, maintains that names only serve to put limits on the named, and, in fact run the risk of creating opposites. According to Lao-Tzu, “Recognize beauty and ugliness is born.
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).
That is to let go and follow the Tao and do only what is absolutely needed so that the people can learn and make their own rules. Lao-Tzu believes that when a governing body complicates itself with laws and be involved in the livelihood of its people too much, it would have adverse effects. This is because their actions draw the people’s attention to disheartening conditions like crime, war, and poverty. Therefore, Lao-Tzu says the Master should leads with humility by understanding that they are no different from the ones they govern and act from below the people, as to not appear overbearing while being sensitive to the people’s interest. The people follow the Master because they do not feel constricted and feels free to choose their way (Verse
However, after Tzu death, Confucianism was crowned the new philosopher of china. As the newly appointed philosopher, he denies all of Tzu opposing views about mankind, but agrees to Mencius another famous Confucian after Confucius himself optimistic theories. Notwithstanding, Tzu was the first philosopher to develop Confucius observation that holds a general truth, for example “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” into a system of complete thought that become today one of the significant development of the Chinese philosophy. In contrast, he disagrees with the Confucius ideology of human nature, but accepted his analysis on the importance of education that changed a lot of people throughout the Chinese history to commit their lives relating to serious academic learning. Tzu uses figurative words as a main form of procedure to back up his arguments.
There are different internal compasses that people utilize to point them towards the path of morality. The most common that probably still remains is The Golden Rule also referred to as the ethic of reciprocity. The Golden Rule stands for: “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. Some consider the Golden Rule to be the most universal of moral principles. Yet it does not always send a positive message.
Confucian teaching emphasizes relationship hierarchy and being respectful to elders. In the second paragraph, Yang criticizes Jesus for not recognizing these relationships between ruler and subject because he was crucified for plotting against his country. Guangxian did not understand how Christians could
(Quote 5) “one must be transformed by the example of a teacher and guided by the way of ritual and rightness before one will attain modesty and yielding, accord with refinement and ritual, and return to order” This quote, is similar to Mencius’ view, as although both believe differently in the nature of humans, the two philosophers both stand for the importance of education, where teachers and rituals play a very big part in the development of a
