1. Three Chinese Ethical Schools of Thought
An ethical system is not a religion, but a system of accepted principles of right and wrong.

2. Confucian Thinking Founder: Confucius Born in 551 B.C.
Lived during the same time as Buddha in India and Socrates in Greece
Concerned with worldly goals, social order & good government, and not salvation.

3. Confucian Thinking cont.
Harmony results from people accepting their place in society.
Five Basic Relationships, which society needed to be organized into for order, harmony and good government to be restored to China
Ruler and subject
Father and son
Husband and wife
Older brother and younger brother
Friend and friend

4. Confucian Thinking cont.
Confucian teachings collected in the Analects.
Education was key in Confucian thinking.
It gave a person the power to completely change, allowing a person to move up within the Chinese social hierarchy.
Respecting your elders helps create a well-ordered society.
Stresses the various family relationships.

5. Filial Piety
Filial Piety is the belief and practice that children should be loyal and obey their parents because their parents are good and just. If the parent leads by example and meets the needs of the kids, the kids should obey them.

6. Daoism Thinking Founder: Laozi Stressed importance of natural order.
Not interested in bringing order to human affairs, but wanted to live in harmony with nature.
Universal force “Dao”, which means “the Way” – guides all things
Emphasized the virtue of yielding
Government viewed as unnatural and therefore the cause of many problems.
Best government is the one that governs the least.
Pursuit of scientific studies
Alchemy, astronomy and medicine

7. Legalists thinking Founders: Hanfeizi and Li Si
Belief that the nature of man is evil (opposite of Confucius)
Key to restoring order in society is a efficient and powerful government
Pass strict laws and enforce them with harsh punishment.
Government should end societal problems and restore harmony by using the law.
Governments should incentivize society.

10. Cultural diffusion The spreading of ideas
Ideas like the use of silk for cloth, Buddhism and other ideas spread along the Silk Roads.
Look at your books, pages …
How many times does the Silk Road diverge (split into two)?