Download Three Chinese Philosophies

Three Chinese Philosophies
Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism
Confucius said to his students,
• Shall I teach you what knowledge is?
When you know a thing, say that you know it;
When you do not know a thing, admit that you do not
know it.
That is knowledge.
Confucius: 551-479bce
- The Analects is a book of
Confucius’ sayings.
- He was born in Lu, in
eastern China.
- He grew up in a very
violent time.
- He deeply respected
Chinese traditions such
as respecting your
ancestors and teachers.
Confucianism
• The goal was a just and
peaceful society.
• Taught, “Do not do to
others what you would
not want done to you.”
• Values such as respect
for elders, proper
behavior, and love of
scholarship became
woven into Chinese
society.
Laozi says,
If you do not want your house to be molested by robbers,
Do not fill it with gold and jade.
Wealth rank and arrogance add up to ruin,
As surely as two and two are four.
Laozi: late 500s bce
Tradition says that the
great wise man of
Daoism is Laozi, the
author of the Dao De Jing
(The Classic Way and it’s
power).
Laozi worked in Chinese
government until he was
90. When he retired he
decided to leave China.
Before he left he wrote a
short manuscript called
the Dao De Jing.
Daoism
• Preached a return to a
simple way of living.
• Emphasized thought,
writing and art.
• To the Daoist, nature is
full of opposites, life and
death, light and dark.
• Harmony comes from
balance, yin and yang
(shaded and sunlit).
• Encouraged rulers to rule
less harshly.
Hanfeizi says,
“He who trusts will be controlled by others.”
Hanfeizi: 280- 233 bce
His collection of writing is
named after him,
Hanfeizi.
He was a prince in the royal
family of the state of Han
during the Zhou dynasty.
Like Confucius, he wanted a
peaceful and orderly
society, but disagreed
about peoples behavior.
Legalism
Based on the idea that people are
selfish.
Legalist say that rulers should be
strict and reward good
behavior and severely punish
bad behavior.
Civil servants should be watched
carefully, and anyone who
criticized should be banished
to northern China.
After the Qin dynasty gained
control, they adopted Legalist
ideas. Many people were put
to death for disloyalty and
other crimes.