)Compare Lao-tzu’s view of government with of Machiavelli in the next selection. Consider what seem to be the ultimate purposes of government, what seem to the obligations of the leader to the people being led, and what seems to be the main work of the state. What comparisons can you make between Lao-tzu’s Master and Machiavelli’s Prince.…
Confucius theorized on the structure of the gov’t but his teachings were not widely accepted until Han; Laozi also criticized chaos…
The history of the Tao Te Ching has been the subject of many scholarly debates. There are three stories about the person who wrote the Tao Te Ching. First is that Laozi was an official in the imperial archives and a contemporary of Confucius. Secondly is that Lao Laizi, also a contemporary of Confucius, wrote the book in 15 parts. Thirdly is that Laozi was actually a Grand Historian and astrologer Lao Dan. According to James David Lees, “Legends claim variously that Laozi was ‘born old’ and that he lived for 996 years, with twelve previous…
Lao-Tzu’s writings offered a basis for Taoism, a religion officially founded by Chang Tao-ling in about 150 A.D. However, the Tao-te Ching is an ethical document as much as about good government as it is about moral behavior. Niccolo Machiavelli was an aristocrat who had his ups and downs according the shifts in power in Florence. His writings encourage a prince to secure power by almost any means necessary. Lao-Tzu’s Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Qualities of the Prince both have main goals of how to mold a better prince. Their views on government and the ways they attain their goals each differ in method.…
The Daodejing is believed to have been written by the legendary origin of Daoism, Laozi, who is worshipped as divine by many Daoists. According to legend described by Molloy (2013), Laozi was born of a virginal conception and was born old, his name meaning “Old Child”. Laozi is said to have written the Daodejing after being stopped at the western most border of China and being told that he must write down his teachings before…
“Be as careful at the end as you are at the beginning and you will not ruin things.” (The Daodejing of Laozi, 64, p. 67)…
Confucius was born in 51 BC and grew up in poverty. His real name is Kong Zi, the name Confucius, catholic priests finding it easier to use, gave it to him. The causes were that, Confucius said, and wrote in his books, that the past was better than the present. Emperor Qin didn’t like his teachings and burned all his books but that didn’t stop Confucius’s ideas. He said that an Emperor should listen to his people and make them happy. He believed that the Emperor had broken the ways of haven and the soil would not be plentiful and crop would not grow. He said that they should have a good emperor, an emperor that follows the ways of heaven, and that they need a better emperor, one who could be trusted by the people and come from a powerful family. That emperor was Liu Bang, who made the country peaceful again and built schools for the ways of Confucius. Confucius said that people should find happiness in life and find the right way to live in life. He taught people about peace and said that educated people acted and were better than uneducated people. He said, “In a Chinese family, the child should give the parents a constant love and obedience. In return, the parents should give the child a constant love and protection. The Consequences were that China improved and became a more civilized civilization. Confucius’s ways are still being taught today.…
This was time of cultural expansion. A writing system was put into place. This period gave rise to many of the most popular Chinese philosophers and thinkers, such as Confucius and Sun Tzu (www.ancient.eu/china). It is even said that Confucius visited Laozi as a young man, and this encounter inspired his life devoted to philosophical thought. This is most likely a fictional account, but the philosophy of Laozi had an impact on other great thinkers of the time nonetheless (www.ancient.eu/lao-tzu).…
| Confucius who taught Confucianism. Family name was Kong, he was honored as Kong fuzi.…
In the beginning of the document, Taoism is described as developed concurrently with Confucianism, as a rival to it (61). Taoism is all about living in harmony with the nature, therefore it is concerned with helping people live in harmony with nature and find internal peace (62). The word way or path is used in both Taoism and Confucianism to signify the fundamental and true nature of the world and people should think along the straight path of nature “He let things rise without dominance, possession or assertion, achieves without taking credit”…
I think it was most intriguing that both Daoism and Confucianism are ancient Chinese religions that originated and developed over the same time period though considered opposites of each other, stem from similar beliefs and goals. Daoism is the relationship of nature and mankind while on the other hand Confucianism is more about society and mankind. This places a more personal path of life for Daoism, to be one with Tao; whereas Confucianism places the importance on the impacts on society as a whole. The Daodejing, a central scripture of Daoism, explains in as many words as it can Dao.…
There are many connections between this document and what I already know. For example, the document gives an account of how the religion of Taoism is emotional and simple. It is a form of mysticism. It emphasized moderation as an early effective way to return humankind to a normal state. Another connection is the knowing of how unfortunate Daoism and Confucianism activism was not ineffective to solve the problems that affected China until legalism emerged (153). Legalism promoted the aspect of not looking at things from Confucianism and Daoists view, but took an efficient approach to statecraft…
The definition of Ultimate Reality is different across all religions. Based on chapter one of the textbook, Ultimate Reality can be categorized into three different terms. These terms are theistic, monistic, and non-theistic. The religions studied so far all have different beliefs in the Ultimate Reality, as well as some similarities between them. Out of the seven religions that have been covered so far, all of them believe in different Ultimate Reality’s whilst also being inspired by some other religion.…
Confucianism and Daoism are among the top eight religions of the world. Although they are both ancient Chinese styles of living, they have few similarities. Both of these religions share a similar goal, a goal of departing from being an individual and moving towards becoming a part of a greater whole; a greater contributor to society itself. Additionally, they both focus on the goal of self-improvement, thus improving social order. In Confucianism, the individual improves himself through orderly obedience with codes of behavior and respect for elders. Self-fulfillment is reached strictly in this life. In Daoism, the individual improves himself through examination of himself and universal energy, and the reward is mainly in the next life,…
The idea of the religion of Confucianism was developed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius. The idea of Confucianism is teaching a person to be able to have the power to make the most logical decisions on their own. It teaches its followers a greater meaning for life which then helps them to better understand death. As a religion it is a different kind of religion. It is taught to followers that there should be harmony between the ancestors, humanity and Heaven, and the secular and the sacred.…