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Comparing Confucianism And Daoism

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Confucianism and Daoism are two religions that originated in China. Both religions remain strong today because of the firm principles instituted by their ancient leaders. Confucianism is a philosophy that started with Confucius, and Daoism, also known as Taoism, began with Lao-tzu. Confucius was a politician, musician, and philosopher who left his job in politics to teach a group of students his moral beliefs that are still followed in China today. In contrast, Lao-tzu’s name translates into “Old Man” or “Old Teacher” and his existence is questionable to this day. Because these two leaders existed together in the same time period, they were competitive in their highly differing teachings.
A main difference is the basic principle of each religion. Confucianism deals with social matters, while Daoism focuses on searching for personal meaning. Confucianism concludes that if humans are supplied with a virtuous environment that allows them to grow, they tend to flourish. Confucianism also believes in a strict hierarchal view that contains five key relationships. The five major human relationships are the way things should be done in a social life. The social roles include father and son (loving), elder brother and younger brother (teaching skills), husband and wife (affection), older friend and younger friend (listening), and ruler and …show more content…

The idea of not initiating action or intervening in life’s events is an established rule. They are taught not to change the course of a situation because by being ignorant of the world, they are unlikely to have a positive impact on it and more likely make it worse. It is also important not to let your desires or attachment control your behavior. For this reason, impulsive decisions are not encouraged and all decisions should be taken into context of the Dao. All in all, Daoism focuses on the belief that one has not reached their full potential as a human until you are able to relate to the

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