* Kung Fuzi (Master Kung) *about 500 B.C.E. *Advisor to rulers during Warring States period of China

Ren --> humaneness, benevolence “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.” Xiao --> Filial Piety (Respect your elders!)

1. Ruler Subject 2. Father Son 3. Husband Wife 4. Elder Younger

* Status * Age * Gender

*Most important Confucian book. * Focus on social harmony and the role of rulers and bureaucrats in government. *assumes that “people are basically good.” * If someone does something bad, education, not punishment, is the answer. ä Good people will mend their ways if they have a good example to follow (the Emperor!)

* Knowing what he knows and knowing what he doesn’t know, is characteristics of the person who knows. * Making a mistake and not correcting it, is making another mistake. * The superior man blames himself; the inferior man blames others. * To go too far is as wrong as to fall short.

* 300s B.C.E. * Warring States period. * political philosophy of the Qin Dynasty.

1. Human nature = selfish. 2. Law = morality 3. Ruler = strong, punishing hand for baddies. Reward good people.

One who favors the principle that individuals should obey a powerful authority rather than exercise individual freedom.

Warring States Period Tried to escape society and find “the Way of nature.”

* The basic text of Daoism. * In Chinese, it means The Classic in the Way and Its Power. * “Those who speak know nothing: Those who know are silent.”

1. Dao [Tao] = exactly like “The Force” in Starwars 2. Goal= to become one with the Dao (nature, the universe, etc.) 3. Wu wei = --> “The art of doing nothing.” --> “Go with the flow!” 4. Man is unhappy because he lives w/ man-made laws that are contrary to the ways of nature.

1. Reject formal learning. 2. Rely on instinct. 3. Discover the “rhythm” of the universe. 4. Ignore political and social laws. The WAY:

* Masculine * Active * Light * Warmth * Strong * Heaven; Sun * Feminine * Passive * Darkness * Cold * Weak * Earth; Moon

How is a man to live in a world dominated by chaos, suffering, and absurdity?? Confucianism --> Moral order by proper relationships Legalism --> harsh law & order. Daoism --> Freedom for individuals avoidance of conformity. 3 Solutions: