Culture
There were three Chinese philosophies that were brought up during the Zhou Dynasty. The three philosophies were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
CONFUCIANISM
CONFUCIANISMIS BASED ON THE TEACHINGS OF KONGFUZI, WHO IS CALLED CONFUCIUS BY WESTERNERNS. THE GOAL OF CONFUCIANISM WAS A JUST AND PEACEFUL SOCIETY. CONFUCIUS TAUGHT THAT SOCIETY WORKED WELL WHEN ALL PEOPLE ACTED PROPERLY BASED UPON THEIR ROLES AND RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS.
RELATIONSHIPS:
RULER & SUBJECT
HUSBAND & WIFE
FATHER & SON
OLDER SIBLING & YOUNGER SIBLING
FRIEND & FRIEND
ALL PEOPLE MUST RESPECT AND OBEY THOSE ABOVE THEM. IN PARTICULAR, THEY MUST RESPECT THEIR ELDERS. IN RETURN, THOSE WITH ATHORITY MUST SET A GOOD EXAMPLE. THEY SHOULD BE KIND, HONEST, WISE, AND FAITHFUL. CONFUCIUS TAUGHT “DO NOT DO TO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD NOT WANT DONE TO YOU.”
DAOISM
Daosim is based on the teachings of Laozi. (Some modern scholars believe he was actually a real man who lived in the late 500s B.C.E. Others think he was only a legend.)
Daoism was based on the ancient Chinese idea of the Dao, or “The Way”Dao was the force that gave order to the natural universe. Daoism taught that people gained peace and happiness by living in harmony, or agreement , with the way of nature. To the daoist, nature is full of opposites, such as life and death, or light and dark. True harmony comes from balancing the opposite forces of nature, called yin and yang. Yin means “shaded”, and Yang means “sunlit”.
The Daoists taught that people followed the way of nature by living simple simple lives of quiet meditation. They said that nothing in nature strives for fame, power, or knowledge. Like that, people should avoid feeling self-important, or striving for possession, or power.
LEGALISM
Legalism is based on the teachings of Hanfeizi, who lived from 280 to 233 B.C.E. Legalism was based on the idea that most people are naturally selfish. As the legalists said, people always pursue their own self interest. It was not enough for the rulers to set a good example for the citizens, therefore, they set strict laws and enforced them with rewards for good behavior, and punishments for bad behavior. Civil servants were watched carefully, and punished for doing a bad job. In this time, rulers were frequently overthrown. Hanfeizi said that rulers must have total power, backed up by military might. rulers should trust no one, not even their own families. Hanfeizi wrote, “He who trusts will be controlled by other