1. AGENDA – 9/26
TURN IN:
-Socratic Seminar evaluation sheet -Greek Rationalists packet
TOMORROW:
TODAY:
Share about our weekends!
Chalk talk: Chinese philosophies
Hand out note packet
Socratic seminar responses: due FRIDAY!
Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism

2. Confucianism, legalism, and Taoism
CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES
Confucianism, legalism, and Taoism

3. What principles should guide human conduct & ensure order in society?
Philosophy
What principles should guide human conduct & ensure order in society?
How did the development of philosophical traditions affect political systems, social classes, and gender roles?

4. Historical context: Circa 475 – 221 BCE
China divided into seven major states
Literally hundreds of wars
Rulers claimed Mandate of Heaven to justify conquest
Qin Dynasty wins

5. Discussion:
How will this historical context impact the development of Chinese philosophies?
What will philosophers seek to do?
How does this relate to the Axial Age?

6. Dynastic China: Three Schools of Thought
Confucianism,
Daoism & Legalism

7. Confucius Lived 551-479 BC Analects-
Offered solutions to the problems plaguing China
Focus on THIS LIFE, not the afterlife

8. CONFUCIANISM Based on relationships and respect
Hierarchical and harmonious relationships
Society functions when everyone plays their part
Li = rituals of everyday life
Mutual respect
Education highly important

9. CONFUCIANISM - RELATIONSHIPS
1. Ruler
Subject
2. Father
Son
Filial piety  respect your elders!
Status
Age
Gender
3. Husband
Wife
4. Older Brother
Younger Brother
5. Older Friend
Younger Friend
Loyalty, honesty, and obedience to superiors

10. CONFUCIANISM: SOCIAL IMPACT
Becomes foundation of Chinese government
Reinforced:
importance of patriarchal relationships
family as the center of Chinese society

11. DAOISM Founded by Laozi, 604-531 BCE Dao = “the path”
Look toward nature for understanding and comfort
Goal: Create societal harmony by living according to the natural laws of the universe
Formed as a result from witnessing the Warring States period

12. DAOISM People should live the natural way-
humans can achieve happiness by living simply in harmony with nature
Emphasizes acceptance and individual retreat from society
Rely on senses and instinct to discover the nature and ‘rhythm’ of the universe

13. BALANCE OF OPPOSITES Yang Yin OPPOSITES MUST BE IN BALANCE Masculine
Active
Light
Warmth
Strong
Heaven; Sun
Feminine
Passive
Darkness
Cold
Weak
Earth; Moon
Yang
OPPOSITES MUST BE IN BALANCE

14. DAOISM strive to maintain balance of yin & yang cultural institutions
harmful & unnecessary
humans must ignore:
education
societal rules of behavior
must seek Dao through intuition & meditation

15. Daoism: political ideas
Believed government caused many problems in society
but necessary to promote human happiness
Role of government:
should feed people & keep away from scholars
“best government governed least”
many people believed this was impractical

16. Legalism Founder: Han Feizi Teachings: Best way to control humans
Humans are born evil & selfish
People do not respond to good examples
did not agree with Confucius
Best way to control humans
Harsh punishments
System of rewards & punishments
Group responsibility

17. Legalism: political ideas
Powerful absolute ruler
Threat of punishment will:
force people to give up their individuality to the absolute ruler
No place for:
morality
religion

18. SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS:

19. HINDUISM – INDIA Aryan invasion to the Indus Valley Polytheistic
Vedas: hymns, rituals, texts
Upanishads: outlines basic beliefs (Brahman)
Caste system – social organization based on hereditary
And, originally, color of skin

20. HINDUISM – INDIA
Karma – if you do good, good will happen to you; if you do bad, bad will happen to you
Dharma – fulfilling your castely duty
Samsara – circle of birth, death, and rebirth
Moksha – release from samsara; uniting with the divine
Brahma, the creator
Vishnu, the preserver
Shiva, the destroyer

21. BUDDHISM Siddhartha Gautama – the “Buddha,” or “enlightened one”
All life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; to stop suffering, stop desiring
Therefore, Buddhists live lives relatively free of material possession

22. BUDDHISM
Karma – if you do good, good will happen to you; if you do bad, bad will happen to you
Samsara – circle of birth, death, and rebirth
Nirvana – release from samsara; uniting with the divine
Eightfold Path
Four Noble Truths

23. BUDDHISM– INDIA AND CHINA

24. Hinduism only Buddhism only Both
Reincarnation
Cyclical view of history
Belief in a state of enlightenment (Hindu moksha, Buddhist nirvana)
The Middle Way (Eightfold Path)
Four Noble Truths
Caste system
Vegetarian

25. RECAP
Universalizing religions: religions with a core of beliefs that transcend cultures and actively recruit new adherents (anyone can convert)
Examples??
Ethnic religions: religions that create strong social bonds between people but mainly are restricted to one ethnic group (people can’t always readily convert; not a strong missionary aspect)