Confucianism vs Daoism
China is a country that has been shaped overtime by many diverse and wide-ranging principles. Religion has served as one of the most powerful examples of these principles, specifically the three teachings, Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Daoism and Confucianism, which were both founded in China hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ, appear to approach the fundamentals of religion in the same fashion. Since Confucius and Laozi don’t directly address the question of God or an afterlife and both were concerned more with the present life, one would think their philosophical teachings would almost mirror each other. In the case of Confucianism versus Daoism, it appears that their methods and goals differ in most aspects, especially those surrounding the origins of their religions and the rituals they adhere to in order to achieve their goals.
Confucius was born in an era of war and disparity. As a well-educated philosophical man, he realized the problem was chaos and unrest. He believed that order needed to be restored in humanity. In time he created a hierarchical social order that emphasized the importance of relationships: Ruler/Subject, Father/son, husband/wife, elder brother/younger brother, friend/friend. Unlike most social orders in societies though, these five primary relationships were a 2-way functioning system, each of which working for the other. For example, one relationship he listed being the ruler and the subject, in which the subject respects and works for the ruler and in turn the ruler must provide safety and well being to his subjects.
Laozi, had a much different beginning to his story, in which he was a hard working man of the government with all the things he could need to flourish in his society. One day, he realized that civilization was in a “free-fall.” He left, but before he could leave, a boarder guard asked him to write something down. Later, these writings would be known as the Daodejing. Laozi, or Lord Lao as he was
Confucius was born in an era of war and disparity. As a well-educated philosophical man, he realized the problem was chaos and unrest. He believed that order needed to be restored in humanity. In time he created a hierarchical social order that emphasized the importance of relationships: Ruler/Subject, Father/son, husband/wife, elder brother/younger brother, friend/friend. Unlike most social orders in societies though, these five primary relationships were a 2-way functioning system, each of which working for the other. For example, one relationship he listed being the ruler and the subject, in which the subject respects and works for the ruler and in turn the ruler must provide safety and well being to his subjects.
Laozi, had a much different beginning to his story, in which he was a hard working man of the government with all the things he could need to flourish in his society. One day, he realized that civilization was in a “free-fall.” He left, but before he could leave, a boarder guard asked him to write something down. Later, these writings would be known as the Daodejing. Laozi, or Lord Lao as he was