Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism are all Chinese philosophies which instruct/guide rulers and people in how they should behave. Confucianism was developed by Confucius during the warring states period and focused on proper social relationships and conduct. Confucianism generally emphasised education and politeness. Daoism was developed by Lao Zi and focused on harmony with nature and rejected social order. Legalism was a philosophy that gave power to the administration as it gave them social influence of the people. These three branches of Chinese philosophy share similarities, differences, and contradictions with one another, as well with Western religions and philosophies .
Legalism opposes Confucianistic and Daoistic ways in structuring government, suggested by the phrase, “ Past and present have different customs; new and old adopt different measures” (Han Feizi), Confucianism and Daoism represent
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There should be no resentment in the state” the state in this case can be interpreted as the emperor ( as he is the head of the state) and it unfitting for a government to adopt the rule of treating others how you want to be treated, as they must inflict punishment on individuals and groups that commit crimes(Confucian Analects). Confucianism and Daoism differ in what is humane, within Daoism “Heaven and Earth” and “the sage” are both stated to not be humane while in Confucianism, the master ( who can be interpreted as a sage) states various ways and methods in which one can become humane, indicating that it is attainable to anyone willing to learn. Daoism in contrast to Confucianism tends to focus on more metaphysical concepts to that of Confucianism's social interaction and conducts. Daoism and Confucianism prioritized different things, Daoism focuses on naturalistic elements such as harmonizing with nature and the “force” behind the
During the Han Dynasty and later at the end of the Tang Dynasty during the classical/post-classical periods, the Chinese bureaucrat was the one came into power. Those bureaucrats who rose to power during the Han Dynasty, brought with them the philosophy of Confucianism. Although Confucianism was an ethical set of beliefs based on mutual respect, it was ultimately not very tolerant of anything that may challenge the authority and power of a Confucian bureaucrat. Confucianists had a tolerable relationship with Daoism, despite hostilities occurring from time to time. This happened because Confucian Scholars were against these views of Daoist thinking, especially as it pertained to Daoism’s support of mysteries and magic, however, they saw no real reason to challenge the influence it had.
In another way, Daoism was based upon the teachings and writings of Laozi, whose views varied from the ideals of Confucianism. In summary, there has been a transformation in the Chinese culture due to founding contemporaries the philosophies workings of the three major social beliefs, Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. The three major social belief systems faced issues such as political order, humane treatment and how to unified society. Although there are distinct similarities and differences between the groups each established their own defined game plan or path in search of an optimistic future for china in order to solve or evict the many problems that plagued everyday
Confucian and Daoist views were important for the shaping and development of mankind in the past. They were views that existed among the eastern Asian countries. They had both similarities and differences in the way they shaped out self-knowledge and self-cultivation. Also there was other outside forces that played a major role in their theories. Nature and art were said to have helped shape the human race as we know it.
Legalism was very different from both Confucianism and Daoism because Legalism was the belief that people needed to be controlled because they were evil. Legalism is found in China and was founded by Han Feize. While it is unknown when Legalism was established, it is known that Han Feize was born in 280 B.C. so that gives a general time when legalism started. Legalism didn’t deal with much religious concerns but was more of a political philosophy instead. Citizens were seen to be responsible for actions of one another. A person who is considered guilty, their relatives and neighbors should be punished as well. This was a way to make sure that the laws are followed. The laws are strict with harsh punishments. People who spy on others and report anything that they do wrong to the authorities are thought to be doing right of the law. Both Legalism and Confucianism are belief systems within a group of people, not religions, and both are intended to lead to an orderly way of life, how they approach their teachings are complete opposed.
The idea of ruling a powerful government based on the principle of using two conflicting ideologies at the same time appeared foreign to most dynasties of early China. In early Chinese times, after the Period of the Warring States, two ideologies emerged: Legalism and Confucianism. Legalism stressed a strong central government that expressed harsh laws while Confucianism had a decentralized government, placing trust in conscientious and learned individuals to work together to solve political issues. These two schools of thought were in stark contrast to each other and, up until the Han dynasty, had never been combined with each other through government policy. The Qin dynasty, for example implemented a strict Legalist government while the
Chinese philosophies, like Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, were brought in by the Chinese to help implement a strong and fair governing system in order to keep the citizens of China. They would use the different ideologies and find a similarity in all of them in order to keep together the empire. With Daoism, the government would put their trust in the people to self govern themselves and thought that political involvement and education were not needed. Confucianism would revolve around family values and order in the empire. Finally, Legalism would use fear to keep the people in check with harsh laws.
Amidst the chaos of political instability and constant warring of the Zhou era, arose many intellectual thinkers that brought such a profound impact in the fields of politics, religion, and philosophy. Even to this day, their influence can be seen on the many matters of China. Confucianism became the paramount school of thinking and later significant philosophies such as Daoism and Legalism gained immense recognition as well. Each party had their own proposals for creating an idealistic political society where the many problems they faced in their everyday lives could be eliminated. All three approaches were very distinct but at the same time, they contained similarities as well. In my reasoning, I find that Confucianism and Daoism
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, are three Chinese ideologies in Classic China that held influence on how society should be, how to achieve order and what made government strong. Anyone that was a practitioner of these three philosophies would have had no idea how the Roman Republic or Empire worked in those regards. It would not be surprising if a Confucian, a Daoist and a Legalist had praise and dislike for how Rome was ran.
Complied during the Warring States Period, the Daodejing is widely known as one of China’s famous philosophy literature. This text reflects the general lament of a civilization that has been worn down from war and seeks to find peace by teaching people how to live by “the Way”. From a war-torn perspective, the Daodejing deems war and government corruption as evil and traces them back to greedy and power-hungry motives. As a successor to Confucius, it still carries some of his ethics. Because of its mystical overtones, it has acquired a large variety of interpretations. Its main teaching is if a person does nothing, then peace will be restored; it is the concept of non-action or 无为。When a person does not try to interfere and allows things to
Firstly, Confucianism prized the rule of men over the rule of law; that is to promote harmony in the people over the interest of a ruler. If a ruler has appropriate personal conduct the government will be effective without needing to issue order. However, the ruler do not have the correct conducts, his orders will not be obeyed.
History has shown us, that Daoism and Confucianism have many things in common as well as many differences, let me start with what is Daoism and Confucianism. Daoism is also known as Taoism, is a religious tradition originated from China in the 550 B.C.E, it was founded by Lao Tzu, a great philosopher and the author of the “Dao De Jing” .The “Dao De Jing” or “Tao Te Ching” is a Chinese text that contains 81 chapters explaining the “ways” of Chinese life, it is often used by the monks or persons that practice the Daoism. Daoism’s main focus is on nature, and not on the social world. Compassion, moderation and humility are also focuses
Legalism and Confucianism are not considered religions but they still have a similar effect on the people in the same way that Christianity and Islam have an impact on people. Legalism was the idea that the people need laws to follow and consequences if they broke the law in order to maintain order. Confucianism, on the other hand, believed that all people had a path in life and that if people worked hard then everything else would prosper. Confucianism dominated throughout history since its introduction in 551 BCE except for during the Qin Dynasty between 221 and 206 BCE when Legalism came into power.
Life during the Warring States period was harsh and chaotic. The people longed for the peaceful days which had preceded the Warring States period. As a result, the great minds of the time focused their energies on regaining peace and stability in China. Their efforts culminated in philosophies, which were mainly blueprints for government which would hopefully bring the land out of chaos and back under a stable, unified rule. Here are brief summaries of the two in your question but the Legalism school of philosophy should have been included. Daoism is the most mystical of the major schools. As the name suggests, the focus on the Dao, or the Way.
Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this
Confucianism has easily been influential in the development of the Chinese state through history. In fact, the core ideals of Confucianism have evolved. Despite the harsh repression of Confucianism by Marxist revolutionaries during the second half of the twentieth century, Confucian values continues to be influential in Chinese society and recently, Confucian political philosophy has resurfaced again. In addition, the political ideas and social ethics of Confucianism can provide the basis for a new, functional form of government in China. Confucianism can be a viable political philosophy for China in the twenty first century because many intellectuals have turned to Confucianism to make sense of such social