Chinese Philosophies

In China, there were three main philosophies that were spread throughout the region. These three philosophies would be Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Each had an impact and influence on how China existed. More specifically, each had an immense impact on the social and political aspects of Chinese society. Each philosophy had a different impact, beginning with Confucianism.

Confucianism focused primarily on harmony and balance. I was "practical, centered on the hierarchy of ethical and political relations between individuals, and especially between the citizenry and the governor" (Adler and Pouwels 69). The main model for Confucian philosophy would be the ancient Chinese family. It embodied his thinking completely. The father was the acknowledged head of the household, while the wife, children, and even grandchildren were faithful subjects and obedient to a "t". Also in Confucian philosophy were the five relation ships. These relationships were the father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, ruler and official, and friend and friend (Adler and Pouwels 70). In the ideas of Confucius, "the state should be a harmonious family: the father was the undisputed head, each person had his or her special rights and duties, and the wisdom of the aged guide the young" (Adler and Pouwels 69). This obviously had a great impact on the social aspect of ancient Chinese life. The principals of the ying and yang were enforced even more so in the Confucian philosophy. Male superiority and female inferiority were engraved deeply into the lives of the everyday Chinese family. The male ran the house and the children and wife were expected to follow his lead. Also, in his philosophy, Confucius did not believe in a stagnant social structure. He taught that all people can advance through the social ladder if they only followed the way of the gentleman and that "a gentleman was made, not born. An aristocrat might not be a gentleman, whereas a lowborn person could learn to be one (Adler and Pouwels 69). Confucian philosophy also impacted the political portion of ancient Chinese culture greatly. Confucian philosophy teaches that "the rich and strong should feel a sense and obligation toward the poor and the weak" (Adler and Pouwels 69). Those in power should do all that they can to harmonize the state that they govern and should be virtuous. The gentlemen that advised the ruler were to see to it that government was fair and promoted the general welfare of the people (Adler and Pouwels 69). In short, Confucian philosophy focused on the betterment of oneself towards another human being.

Daoism was a second philosophical stream that greatly influenced China. Daoism is "a nature-oriented philosophy/religion of China" (Adler and Pouwels G-3). It focused more on "the way" that nature showed a person through observation and meditation. It also, like Confucianism, focused on harmony. However, Daoism did not have such an extreme view on social aspects of Chinese life. Daoism was left more to personal interpretation than following a strict set of rules, relationships, and ethics. It more closely emphasized the importance of being in harmony with nature and observing nature to the highest degree in order to