The main theme that entangles itself in all of the source material is the idea of how governments should be run in such a powerful empire, such as Imperial Rome and the Han Dynasty. Starting with the first source, it is evident that the first Qin emperor believed that only the orthodox teachings should be tolerated, which meant that the works of the Five Classics and its teachings were to be extinguished. The next primary source serves as a supplement to explaining the fall of the Qin dynasty due to its warring ideas and Jia Yi argues that if Confucius teachings were implemented then the dynasty would have still been intact. The third source explains how the Qin dynasty was unjust in its equal appropriation of punishment against criminals regardless of motives or social class. Essentially, Dong Zhongshu believed that a dynasty could not be successful if it failed to establish a fair and righteous justice system for its citizens.
The way clans were organized is believed to have led to the joint family life. They had mastered the use of bronze in weapons and utensils. They also created the writing system that is still used in China
The main sources that the author relies on are the merchant manuals, for they were likeminded and resembled Confucius philosophy. The author uses these manuals, which “were imbued to some extent with the desire to teach Confucian morality,” to support his main argument. The foremost purpose of these merchant manuals in late imperial China was “to help people achieve success and attain wealth through commerce.”
Confucianism also introduced a new way of organizing society. Instead of one having to live a life based on the bloodline, They were now able to create a life based on their ability and knowledge. Normally, In other dynasties, a civil servant was guaranteed the job of a government official because of their bloodline, but Confucius begged to differ. Confucius decreased the value of bloodline and increased the purpose of one's knowledge and ability.
Ming China followed Confucianism during this era. The reason these people were forced to read these four books regarding Confucious before they even knew the characters was so that once they learned them, they would only know of Confusism. Had they been taught before, they may have had the ability to read scriptures of other followings; or foreign culture. During this era, spread of foreign ideas was exactly what China was trying to avoid. The purpose of this document is to point out
The philosophy was then endorsed by the main emperor of Ancient China, Shi Huangdi. The main intention of Shi Huangdi (when he put Legalism into place) was to keep China under firm control of the rules, and to scare and pressure the citizens into behaving well all the time. All in all, the philosophy worked well in doing all that Shi Huangdi desired it to do, it scared people into following the rules, didn’t let them have thoughts of freedom, and caused the deaths of many evil people in society. At the same time, it destroyed many Chinese cultures and killed many innocent people, the excesses of the Qin Dynasty’s legalism made the regime very unpopular with the people of the time, eventually leading to a rebellion where Legalism was abandoned to be taken over by
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.
There where many factors that led China to political unification in contrast to India. One factor is, dynasties such as the Zhou Dynasty who kept the same political system as its predecessors, where India had changed many things and continued to change political and social systems. India was very fragmented in political unification because, India was and still is a land of diversity. Ancient India was also not as organized as Ancient China in ruling. When the Zhou kingdom had started to end and break apart into many powerful states a “relativity young state of Qin located in the original homeland of the Zhou, emerged as a key player in conflicts”(p.
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.
Many of his teachings implemented filial piety, or in a broader sense, the relationships between man and society. Confucius often examines the duty of one man being ruled by a government. Yet, he focuses on a balance between individuals and government, suggesting that they maintain a symbiotic relationship. Confucius explores the role one plays in society, and vice versa.
While he wasn’t very popular when he was alive, his teachings eventually gained popularity and evolved into what we know today as Confucianism. Confucianism can be described in many different ways; for example, it can be called a religion, a way of governing, or just simply a way to live your life. Through his writings and teachings Confucius taught what he believed they way that people should live their life or at least how people should strive to live their life. Confucius and his disciples focused on many things though his teaching in the Analects, one being goodness. The teachings of Confucianism focused heavily of respecting and being kind to one another.
Since the start of the Chin dynasty, countless philosophies were developed and preserved throughout time. Legalism, which was created by Han Fei, is an example of change through time as many punishments got weaker and strict laws were declined. On the other hand, one of the main philosophies that show continuity is Confucianism and the ideas of respecting the superior people were developed throughout time. In fact, Mandate of Heaven, a belief of rulers receiving blessings of the gods, is also an example of continuity in philosophies. In summary, during the time period between 221 B.C to 618 A.D in China, Legalism went through many significant changes, while Confucianism and Mandate of Heaven stayed constant.
Compare and contrast the roles of Confucianism and Buddhism in both China and Korea until roughly the 7th century Introduction East Asia is the largest emerging economy of the world at present, and this phenomenon can be traced back to its cultural, demographic, political and social traditions and identities. Yang and Tamney (2011) said religion was an integral part of cultural which played an extremely great role in enriching people’s spiritual life, guiding people to do good (p.132), and strengthening the state authority and legitimating their rule by instilling people with the politics-oriented beliefs from the perspective of the ruling class. Confucianism and Buddhism played a dominant role in the feudal society in both China and Korea and they exerted far-reaching impacts on both countries until today. As religion, both Confucianism and Buddhism served similar purposes in maintaining the social orderliness and stability, despite the differences between them in the religions beliefs and their impacts. In this paper, the roles of two mainstream religions, Confucianism (including Neo-Confucianism) and Buddhism in China and Korea until roughly the 7th century are compared and contrasted in various aspects.
Moreover, the influence of Confucianism obstructs ancient women right. The Three Obediences and the Four Virtues derived from Confucianism to control and tyrannize female. Confucianism classifies male and female’s proper role by heaven-ordained explanations more than two thousand years ago. (Hays, 2008). Confucianism is a way of life and philosophy created by Confucius (Kong Fuzi).