Confucianism and Daoism Flashcards
(27 cards)
Confucius
China, -500 BCE
- father was a great warrior, died before he was born
- educated well
- lives at a time of chaos in society, he wants to create order
Religions that follow divine command…
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
“this is right, this is wrong. “
“here are the rules, live by them.”
Consequentialism/ Utilitarianism
what action results in the best consequence?
Virtue Ethics
concerned about person’s character
- how do we develop your character?
- how do I become a person of virtue?
1 Virtue Ethics in Confucianism
Filial piety: being a good family member, responsibility to family and ancestors
Confucious spends a lot of time speaking of…
a gentleman: describes what a person of virtue is, act to model this person
Analects
Collection of teachings by Confucius
-short statements of wisdom
Doaism
developed by Lau Tzu
Lao Tzu
500 BCE, China
- founder of Daoism
- lived in archives, exposed to classics
- writes Dao de Jing
Dao de Jing
not long at all, difficult to understand (complex)
The Tao
translates to “the way”
- you can’t capture it in words
- you give a definition, it’s wrong
Tao: Dr. Mann Definition
“the desired and orderly oath the cosmos should run”
- natural flow to universe
- water image used often: soft but extremely powerful
- wind never breaks grass, be the grass, be flexible to respond to difficulties of life
- nature seeks harmony and balance, follow the example of nature
Daoism: Wu-Wei
effortless action
Difference between Confucianism and Daoism
Confucianism
- Mr. Peanut: he is a gentleman, good family member
- know place in society, know the rules
- yang
Daoism
- Hippie in a canoe
- go with the flow of nature
- live by the example of nature.
- wu-wei (effortless action)
- yin
Daoism: Yin-Yang
in all things yang, there is yin (you need to have both)
- balance in all things: both are necessary
- 5 elements
- ex: balanced diet
Yin-Yang Examples
Yin: black, dark, moon, female, evil, Daoism
Yang: white, light, sun, moon, good, Confucianism
Daoist
live in harmony with the Dao
Ch’i (Daoism)
energy that runs through everything; life giving energy
- can’t quantify in Western Science
- keeps things flowing in world
Early Daoists and Impacts
- influence Chinese Medicine, become physicians
- Chinese Martial Arts
Confucius Teachings
more of how to live in here and now
T’ien
heaven
- the divine realm, beyond physical realm
- not God, not a location
- divine truth that. can influence the world
Confucianism: Supernatural blessing takes place when we…
behave/ act the way we should
Confucianism: Ritual
everyone knows part, knows what to say, do, dress, act
- Confucius says there will be order if everyone follows rituals
- there is also a supernatural benefit to following rituals
Confucianism: The 5 Relationships
- the ruler
- father-son
- husband-wife
- elder-younger brother
- friend-friend
- hierarchical
- rituals that go with how you treat each other
- if everyone follows these rituals/ knows what is expected of them, everything will run smoothly
