Impact of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism on Ancient China

679 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Three philosophies in china

The Chinese “Big Three” Philosophies
“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” This is a quote from Confucius, addressing the importance of teaching and the value of peace. Confucianism was not the only philosophy developed in ancient China. During the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States, chaos existed everywhere. In order to restore peace into the society, three different ideologies with distinct approaches for order emerged. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism would play a great role in politics, society, and the artistic and intellectual activities in China.
To begin with, the three philosophies of classical China would have substantial effect on the government. Confucius’s teachings focused on …show more content…

For Confucianism, there could be a great potential for the government to make the lives of people more efficient by construction projects, technological advancements, and improved products by asking people to finish their portion of duty. That way, the society would flourish and left numerous legacies behind. Although there would not be a lot of improvements for the Daoism societies, people could record their way of living down so that future generations could learn and follow the principles of this philosophy. As the legalist societies usually had a strong and centralized government, they would order people to do a lot of hard work in order to rule the society efficiently. Though they would leave a great number of legacies behind, people were manipulated and treated badly. As a result, the positive and negative sides of legalist rule would be evident. In conclusion, Confucianism, Daoism along with Legalism would all have considerable effects on the different aspects of culture. Confucianism would make the society prosper; Daoism keeps the society as it is with peace; while Legalism would only make the society peaceful for a while. The different histories and consequences of the ancient Chinese dynasties, such as the Han for Confucianism, the Tang for Daoism, and the Qin for Legalism, all fits with the analysis of how the philosophies affected daily Chinese

Show More
Related

  • Emperor Shi Huangdi Essay

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Confucius stressed the importance of relationships in society, and at the same time Daoism was developed which stressed harmony with nature. Each was a response to the warring states period. After Huangdi took control, he quickly tried to put down these other philosophies. He condemned Confucian scholars to death and had books burned that contained philosophies that disagreed with him. This increased his totalitarian rule even more because people could not question him.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Confucianism Daoism And Legalism

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many Chinese Philosophies within the world, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, in which they have all originated as a result of the collapse of the Zhou dynasty in China, however, they do not all have the same beliefs.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between Legalism And Legalism

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    It has been said that Legalism takes after Daoism, borrowing some of its well-known ideas such as non-action or the usefulness of being empty. Though Legalism is typically grouped with the other early Chinese philosophers, it is actually quite a different system. Han Feizi’s Basic Writings, an exemplary text of Legalism, is aimed at how to successfully run an empire, and caters to one person in particular: the ruler. On the other hand, writings like the Dao de Jing are aimed more towards the individual and are personable. Still, it’s interesting to note that both texts talk about what it takes to be a good leader. In examining relations between Laozi’s Dao De Jing and Hand Feizi’s Basic Writings, one can extract both similarities and differences between Legalism and Daoism when it comes to how a leader should govern. Daoism and Legalism are similar in the fact that they both believe the leader should practice non-action and emptiness, believe that there should be a natural

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Religion And Philosophy

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    During and after the Warring States period of Chinese history, many different philosophies were developed. One of these such philosophies is Legalism. In Legalism, people believe that no one can be trusted, and that everyone is selfish and evil. It teaches that the only way to get work done is with strict laws and harsh punishments. On the complete opposite side, in Daoism (a.k.a. Taoism), people believed that you don’t really need much of a government. Even the ruler doesn’t really do anything much. They just let the people live. The entire point of Daoism is to achieve “oneness with the Dao,” which is the path, or road to living in harmony with the world and nature. Another philosophy, Confucianism, is all about living in harmony with other people. It basically teaches you to respect your elders, people with more power than you, and people who have more knowledge and experience than you. By following any one of those philosophies, people try to live a good life by changing their

    Read More

  • Confucianism In The Shang Dynasty

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Respect and education will make the community good, which will eventually lead to expanding the Empire and having more cutting edge ideas. In the other hand, Legalism will only make people have little to no information about how to enhance their environment, and live in the constant fear caused by the rulers brutal ways of dealing with unlawful acts. Though we do not live in a community like this nowadays, it is crucial to notice the way this rationalism works, since it will help create new and revamped forms of government, which will eventually help the human kind move forward. Learning from old mistakes and taking in everything that works can make the world a better place, and Confucianism is a great philosophy apply, develop and learn from since it is not

    Read More

  • The Periods of Success and Decline in the Dynastic Cycle

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, the belief, relevance, and importance of the repetition of Chinese history are all explained and propagated by concepts of the Good Life, Good Society and Good State presented within the teachings of Confucius, the Dynastic Cycle and the Han Synthesis. All three concepts evolved from the ideas of Confucius and all highlight that Chinese history repeats itself by focusing on the inevitable rise and fall of each new dynasty. This makes the state accountable to its people for its actions. Confucius’ ideas on filial piety and how a ruler should govern shaped the Han Synthesis. No matter how benevolent the individual is, time and history march inevitably onward. Benevolence gives way to corruption and the process of degeneration and creation are repeated.

    Read More

  • The Change of Confucianism over Time

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Confucianism And Daoism

    1931 Words  | 4 Pages

    Confucius thought that society needed to return to the Dao while Daoism teaches that we need to follow the Dao or else we will not continue to live. Confucius was “not the one who was born with knowledge, [but is the] one who loves the past and is diligent in seeking it” (Confucius and the Analects 51). Both traditions support a following of the Dao, but their approach to living the Dao is very different. Confucianism is very explicit in what is right and wrong. A major source of information for what is right and what is wrong are the Analects, where conversations “focus on the practicalities of interpersonal relationships, personal cultivation in the context of those relationships, and the relationship of personal cultivation on the part of rulers and ministers to the conduct of government” (Confucius and the Analects 42). This is important because it shows how important Confucius thought that human and social relationships were to and how they can help society return to the old ways. In section 2.3 of the Analects, Confucius

    Read More

  • A Historical View of the Expansion and Philosophy of Confucianism and Buddhism

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The spread of Confucianism across East Asia was accomplished largely through voluntary and consensual means, rather than by conquest o...

    Read More

  • Confucianism and Taoism

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.

    Read More

  • Religion In Confucianism And Religion

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    Instead, Taoism advocated doing nothing and obey the orders of nature. In ancient Chinese society, the essence of “Dao” in Confucianism including five factors which are benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, intelligence and honest (Hoobler & Hoobler, 1993), while “Dao” in Taoist can be embodied as the natural orders and principles of universe in terms of the heaven and the ground (Wang & Chanzit, 2004). Specific comparing, Confucianism concentrates on hierarchical ethical order, through a series of manners discipline to improve people 's moral standards. Taoism treats the whole universe as a country, and proposes to follow natural orders and without doing anything as the measure of managing a state. In conclusion, The “Dao” in Taoist is not the “Dao” of moral in Confucianism. Confucianism made the “Dao” actualization and socialization, while Taoism made it

    Read More

  • Human Nature In Confucius, Mencius And Han Fei Tzu

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    As made self-evident, the attitudes, which Confucius, Mencius, and Han Fei Tzu maintain towards the ideas of education, rituals and government, shape the overall philosophies of each.

    Read More

  • What Are The Difference Between Legalism And Confucianism

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. Confucianism sought to help streamline society and encourage proper participation in politics. Filial piety was said to have even mimicked a form of bureaucracy in the family unit. This stands in sharp contrast to Daoism which urged its followers to withdraw from political life and find solace in nature. Interestingly though, Daoism was seen as complementary to Confucianism, and

    Read More

  • The Influence of Confucianism on Chinese Culture

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    Confucian culture has persistence, so it does not disappear with the annihilation of the old system. Confucian culture, formed under two thousand years of feudal autocratic rule, not only exists for a long time, but also still has important influence on Chinese contemporary political life and political culture with its strong vitality. The theme of moderation is to educate people consciously to self-improve, self supervise, and self educate, and train themselves have the ideal personality. Fundamentally, the Confucian thinks that the root of governing revolution lies in the will of people, therefore, it should govern from the will of people if it wants to achieve the social governance, which has its profound meaning (Chan, Cho, 2014). The emergence of a lot of social problems, in the final analysis, is due to the lack of governance...

    Read More

  • A Critique of Confucian Morality

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.

    Read More

More about Impact of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism on Ancient China

Open Document