Taoism and Confucianism

Taoism and Confucianism are both very complex and important religions of their time. Both mainly Asian religions, these creeds were more prominent in the times they were developed than they are today. Each of these religions had a certain belief that there was a "Way" that things should happen and should work so that goodness and peace will regulate in the world.

Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. His works were taught in the Confucian Analects and his sense of mission to be "a human among other humans." He was said to have fortune cookie knowledge and was admired by many people, including his many followers. The Confucian way talks about jen being "the ultimate principle of human action," li as "the ceremonial or ritual means by which the potential humanity is realized," hsiao "is the virtue of reverence and respect for family," and yi "informs us of the right way of acting in specific situations" (Koller, 272 - 275). Confucian teachings are very specific in the way you must live your life. One must always be aware of what they are doing so that they can be in accordance to jen. If one were missing any of these elements then that person would be off the path toward becoming virtuous.

Taoism is a very strong and complex religion that is mostly based on the ideas of nature. Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, was very devoted to teaching the way of the Tao and used many examples of nature in his teachings, the Tao Te Ching. Another main tradition of the Taoists was the idea of always thinking as if a child were to think. Taoists believed that by growing up we would lose something rational in our own thinking. This is almost opposite of the Confucian beliefs, because Confucius believed we should grow up, and in that time learn to become a better human being. Another part of Taoism is the philosophy Chuang Tzu created. In many respects it is the same as Lao Tzu except that Chuang Tzu "does not attempt to provide advice to rulers. Because he thinks that rulership is part of the problemÐ'...to follow the Tao, people need to withdraw from society" (Koller, 293). His arguments are the argument from relativity of distinctions, from the complementariness of opposites, from perspectives, and from general skepticism.

After reading about both Confucianism and Taoism, it seems as if the easier system to follow would be Taoism. Confucianism focuses too much on human nature. Also, it seems to start from a negative standpoint; meaning that you start your life not in accordance to jen, and you need to spend your whole life trying to follow the teachings and focusing on li, hsaio, and yi so