The Zhou Dynasty and the Birth of Chinese Philosophy Flashcards
Sanxingdui (c. 1700 – c. 1150 BCE)
*No writing present
*Giant earthwork city wall
*Objects found in large pits associated with some sort of ritual
*Cultural diversity of ancient China
Not just the onlycountry shang = like qiang = other places that are different cultural forms = sanxingdui = site name = no idea what they called themselves =
Map = similar kinds of bronze, potteries, bones
Sanxingdui = sichuan aournd chengdu = modern capital =
Different, independant culture = still advances (objects with lots of craftmenship) = political structure to make them (finance, extract) = complex society = other acheological signs (walls, social differenciation)
Reason why shang is part of the main narrative = cuz no writing = no evidence in shang record they had any influence =
Tendancy to follow certain narrative = early period = limited vision = some were more or less important = cultural forms that will be important in china =
1200 bce = no the only powerful or important state in china = only one with records and will have a influence in the future
The Zhou overthrow the Shang
*Zhou lived on the Western fringes of the Shang realm, and adopted many of the Shang innovations (chariots and other weapons, a writing system, kingship)
*Like the Shang, the main form of organization in Zhou society was lineage based (with main lineages and branch lineages)
*At some point, Zhou came into conflict with the Shang, and found enough allies to finally (in 1045 BCE) topple their powerful neighbor
One group that appears in oracle bones = the zhou = being shang lands, similar language = near xi’an = remains of early zhou civilization = eastern barbarian = a few oracle bones , bronzes & tombs that were similar to the shang
Zhou rulers are ruling = 1045 bce (astrological and crossing sources) = shang are overthrown by the zhou = historian, horrible shang king, murdered, taxes, orgies
Mandate of Heaven
*Zhou had their own god “Heaven,” and developed a powerful theory of the “Mandate of Heaven” to demonstrate that their attack on Shang had been justified
*Mencius:
*King Xuan of Qi asked, “Is it the case that Tang banished Jie and that Wu struck down Zhou?” Mengzi responded, saying, “There are such accounts in the historical records.” The King said, “Is it acceptable for subjects to kill their rulers?” Mengzi said, “One who violate benevolence should be called a ‘thief.’ One who violates righteousness is called a ‘mutilator.’ A mutilator and thief is called a mere ‘fellow.’ I have heard of the execution of a mere fellow ‘Zhou,’ but I have not heard of the killing of one’s ruler.”
No objective sources (previous king)
Mandate of heaven = political legitimacy = justifices their rules =
Record of the grand history = zk didnt want to = no mth = but king killed his official = had mth
Belief in a divinity = heaven = support the right to rule = zhou think they have support to rule = gotta be a good ruler to not lose the mth = (rebellions, problems = then have no more mth = nice for change of dynasties = you deserve to be in charge
Ideas related = most important books of classic littérature
Through their actions of the last king of shang and xia too, losts their status, legidimicy to overthrow a bad government
Book of Documents (Shangshu/Shujing)
*Collection of historical materials
*Supposedly compiled by Confucius
*Final version put together in 4th century CE, much of it forgeries of supposedly ancient texts
*Earliest genuine texts from early Zhou
Shao Announcement:
“Look at the former peoples of ancient times, the Xia. Heaven guided, indulged, and cherished them…but they let their Mandate fall to the ground. Now look at the Yin [Shang]; Heaven guided them, stayed near them, nourished them, so that they would strive to comprehend what Heaven favors; but now they have let their Mandate fall to the ground.”
Sources in early zhou period = points in slides
Material before 4th ce and before confucius
Early record = before founding xia
Yao and shun? = before the xia, kings
Linguistic evidence = oldest = from the early zhou = 5 texts = announcements
Zhou using mth + pattern from history (can gain and lose mth) = not sure if xia existed cuz would help to justify what zhou did =
Book of Songs (Shijing)
*Consists of more than 300 poems/songs (sometimes called Book of Odes or Classic of Poetry)
*Also supposedly compiled by Confucius
Poetry/odes
=306 songs/poens before 1BCE = insight into zhou politically ideologily
Marriage in the Book of Songs (Song 58)
Not just politics = aspects of life of the zhou = marriage = women courted, goods from the guy, moral guidance (male vs women cheating) = shame on her cuz failing of her relationship = thoughts of her old life
People are experiencing life = love and marriage = sense of daily life
Bronze inscriptions + Example
Another source of historical matterial = every pot of bell will have inscriptions on behave of the person who payed
Anconplishment, ancestros, king, ? ,dreams,= to be for ancestors, covered or inside and adress the ancestors = conveying a wish of message to hope providing
Sense of ways people are thinking about social prestige, goals
Wishes about continuation of the family line = iportant employement in the state = elite, have the money = what they are concerned about
Specific historical event = 9000bce = rewarded by their superiors = accomplishment to the duke and then the king = different levels of hereditary power holder = hierarchy
Western Zhou (1045 – 771 BCE)
*Capital near present day Xi’an
*Enfoeffed relatives and followers to control territories – fengjian/feudalism
*Manorialism – serfs required to labor for lords
*Overthrown by alliance of Rong and Zhou vassals in 770 BCE
Early = cuz capital at the west
Early period = system of rules (fengjian) = instead of administring all the land = send lords for it = court visit and ritual submissian in xi’an to the king + practice their own land + pass on to sons
800 bce = 200 lords = 25 were really important + had other lords under them = hereditary elite
Economy = people attached to the land, need to provide food and work (feudalism)
Book of song = complain of serfs = escape oppressive region is to go to the outer regions = people are no happy, evidence in book of songs
Eastern Zhou (770 – 221 BCE)Confucius (Kongzi) – 551?-479?BCE
*Capital moves east to Luoyang
*No longer any real control over supposed vassals
*Two phases: Spring and Autumn Period (771 – 481 BCE), Warring States Period (481 – 221 BCE)
*Time of near constant warfare
*Shift in social/political order tied in part to development of iron tools+weapons – switch to commoner armies, lesser role for aristocrats, more direct taxation
Birth of major schools of Chinese philosophy
771 = links to feudal lords have weaken + issues with non-zhou people = alliance of northern barbarians (rong and zhou vassals) will overthrow them = go do luoyang = no central authority anymore and nobody listens to king
Two phases = SAP = period which is covered by the spring and autumn annals = region of Lu, confucius
War all the time = 500 war with states + 1000 war in the state
Small armies, chariot, elite
6th cnetury bce = infantry would rise, masses, elite importance is declining, more states tax directly, increase irrigation, iron in farming too
WSP = war
Majors school will be born = tools of literacy, changing world, influencial for centuries
Confucius (Kongzi) – 551?-479?BCE
*Continuity with the past (maybe)
*Proper conduct of ritual
*Self-cultivation
*Centrality of family
*Ruler as moral exemplar
*Little concern for supernatural
Superiority of Chinese culture
Lower rank, lower jobs
Became a tutor = background of good status = annalects = put together by disciple = respresnet his own voice, actions and voice
Transmitting teacher of old people
But new things, some discountinuity
Ritual = ordinary day to day ritual, develop yourself to be a better person if you do it the good way
Self-cultivation
Centrality of family
Rulers need to cultivate their vertues
Dont worry about supernatural, worry about this world
Barbarians are infierior,but could be transformed
Mozi (480?-400?BCE)
*Impartial caring (jian’ai)
*Wrong to attack other states
*Logic and systematic analysis
Ridicule of obsession with ritual
Laozi (fictional?)
*Daoism?
*Don’t try to forcibly remold world
*Wuwei – work in accordance with nature, spontaneously
*“Abandon sagehood and abandon cunning, the people will benefit a 100fold; Abolish humaneness and abandon righteousness, the people will again be filial and kind; Abolish cleverness and abandon profit, bandits and thieves will be no more.”
Zhuangzi (355?-275?BCE)
*Daoism?
*Direct challenge to Confucian thought
*Humor
*Participate in transformations of natural world
*Question nature of reality
*Value of lowly things
*Oppose rigid adherence to past
*Skeptical of human constructs
Confucians
Han feizi =
- ways of old sage-kings are not guidance (classical scholars), more modern approach
More government intervention
- ruler needs more than moral goodness to success, more legalist = govern through laws(basis of the Qin state) and institutionalist
- not good by nature = seek rewards and establish punishment (xunzi)
- doesnt believe in self-cultivation, wisdom unneccessary,
- what they do and not what they are = laws to make sure they behave
- break laws and get worse and worse = legalist system, maintaining rigid system
- conflict confuciasm (victorius) VS legalism = not gonna get rid of innovations from the qin, bureaucraty, rules, clear legal codes, feature of the chinese state
more realist cuz of government issues
more authority
Mencius =
- Sprouts analogy = interesting
- Ruler should rule by example = rulers should try to be virtuous and create a better and more prosperous = be good people
- Should be concerned to give the opportunity to cultivate and have a better life
- bad rulers = are overthrown = right to rule is deserved
Legalists
Xunzi =
- peoples nature is bad, work for it to be good
- rituals are the way !! = rules to make them better
- strong rules = multiplying punishments
- VS mencius = criticizing the goodness in people = both are confuciasm
- share = self-cultivation, government has the goal to make people better, learning from the past and as a model (sage kings)
*Lord Shang (Shang Yang/Gongsun Yang)
