Similarities Between Mencius And Han Feii

Essentially, the heavens bestow the mandate upon the ruler, but the people are a factor in whether the mandate stays with the ruler or not. Hence, Mencius emphasizes the importance of just rule in order to please the people and keep the Mandate of Heaven.

The welfare of the people of China was the main measuring rod for judging the government. Mencius believed that all people were morally equal and that the ruler needed the consent of his people. He hoped that a strong unifying leader could stop the wars between regional areas and states from the Zhou period. Thus, if a ruler lost the "Mandate of Heaven," the people had every right to rebel and even overthrow that particular unjust leader.

Good and bad, two opposite terms that are used by people. ‘Good’ is known as morally excellent and ‘bad’ is known as being wicked or having an evil character. The ideas of good and bad are thought to be connected to human nature. Human nature is the characteristics, feelings, and behaviours of humankind that is shared by all humans. Because good and bad are two opposite terms and it is in human nature this has led to attempts to explain how both good and bad behaviours affect peoples’ daily life. The debate of on explanations of human’s good and bad behaviour still is ongoing nowadays. Two Chinese philosophers, Mencius (2016) and Hsun Tzu (1963) have relevant approaches to analysing this behaviour. Hsun Tzu focused on human

They want to emphasize individual virtuous behavior, both by the ruler and the ruled as well as highly recommending obedience and respect, “people should know their place, even under bad rulers.” Even the Han emperors decided to implement Confucius ideas after looking at their doctrine called The Analects. The book shows Confucian political value and social order which states that the aristocrats and the educated are of the highest degree, and then comes farmers, and finally, the merchants. Although both Confucianism and Legalism call for governmental hierarchy, Confucianism possessed an optimistic view of human potential while Legalists believe that a powerful government is necessary along with a carefully devised law rewarding for good deeds and punishing for bad

Confucius created the doctrine that 300 years after his death became a permanent impulse of social life in China, established rules of behaviour not only in the state, but also the family as a social unit.1

Three areas of philosophy emerged amidst the chaos and constant warring of the Zhou era. The three were called Confucianism, Daoism, and legalism. They were Chinese philosophies that were thought to be the best ways to rule and achieve order in the society. Confucianism believed that a ruler 's job was to set a good example, and not order. Since people were thought of as naturally good, they would following the right path based on their own conscience. Legalism was a more harsh way of ruling, led by Hanfeizi. They thought people were evil, and needed strict laws and punishment to keep them in line. Daoism was very different from either of the other two. It was led by Laozi, who taught that the best kind of government was one who governed

In Document 1, Persians boast about their military Powers’s and their superiority above all. In Document 2, the Greeks boast about their just democracy and their strong military. Next, in Document 4, King Ashoka highlights his system for medical aid and boasts that he has worked very hard for his people. Finally, in Document 6, the Romans boast about their extensive trading system and their free citizenship. In contrast, the Legalists and Confucians of China assert their political prowess by advising their rulers on how to effectively govern their people. The Legalists believe that a good ruler should rule with an iron fist and hand out strict punishments and rewards. The Confucians, however, believed that a good ruler should act as a compassionate example for his people. Nevertheless, both Confucians and Legalists used their advice for their rulers as a method to exert political power. Clearly, there were some differences in the way these civilizations exerted their political power, and this can be seen in the

Han China and Imperial Rome used ideologies to shape their society. In Han China, Confucianism was used as a basis to control its bureaucrats and citizens. This ideology, created by Confucius, encouraged moral and cultural unity. It encouraged respect towards authority, and set guidelines for how an individual should act towards people above their social class and people below their social class. Han rulers created one of the first civil service tests, requiring applicants to have an understanding of Confucianism and other early writings to become a bureaucrat. This resulted in a

A ruler needs to maintain a positive public image and please as many of the population as possible. It is impossible to please everyone whether you are an effective or ineffective ruler, but maintaining the support of the majority of the masses is of paramount concern in being a successful leader.

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.

According to the Tao Te Ching 3, Laozi said people should not be praise man’s wisdom to avoid arguments between peoples and should not think highly of goods to prevent theft. The reason why the world is in such a disarray is that people deem highly of the wisdom, scholarship, and the goods. Laozi doesn’t like class society based on people’s difference in terms of ability. He dreamed of a society without rank. He tried to make an equal society. Historically, the Analects of Confucius has been often mentioned when supporting the absolute monarchy in feudal system. Sometimes it has been used by high class in order to hide a social inconsistent as justifying social hierarchy. The difference between two texts is that philosopher Laozi doesn’t support class-society but Confucius accented the hierarchical order. However, the true value of Confucius idea is based on politics of human. In other words, he emphasized that leaders should restore their humanity to avoid society disruption. To be specific, he expected the society to follow this phrase: “Lord should behave like a lord and his retainers should remain faithful to

     Confucius’s complimentary behavior not motivated his disciples but also set forth the example of decency and citizenship within society. “I can try a lawsuit as well as other men, but surely the great thing is to bring about that there be no going to law.” (Confucius p. 70) Confucius stresses not only the importance of bearing down society with avoidable lawsuits, but also that the relationships between neighbors should be above petty differences and disputes. He continues to encourage the importance neighbors by counseling his followers about the perspective in which we view others. “The man of noble mind seeks to achieve the good in others and not their evil. The little-minded man is the reverse of this.” (Confucius p. 70) The goodwill of which Confucius wishes to implant in his followers is evident in his statements as he encourages optimism and

Availability and understanding of available information by an individual was taken as a very important treasure. The issues that Confucius taught to be followed were not entirely scientific learning but rather the study of the consecrated contents and the tenets of good worth and propriety (Oliver, 1985). An additional element which he held high was the control of proper example. The heroes, heroines and great people that existed were greatly exemplified by Confucius. Confucius did this by persisting on the scrutiny of the conservative models. Many of his well recorded aphorisms are tributes of his considered men of high caliber. Confucius trained his supporters the significance of constantly welcoming the rectification of personal liabilities. To further assist in the creation of an upright moral fiber, he cherished a particular amount of strength of will. He acknowledged the threat, particularly in the youthful, of falling into unwanted behavior, so he persisted on eradicating the push for uncalled for reassurances (Ferguson, 1972).

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.

I think that Confucius was more correct in his views than Mencius, not because of differing views (although they did differ at certain points), but because of the way these ideas were carried out throughout his career, and ultimately, his life.