'Philosophy and Empire in Ancient China\r'

'The forward-looking-fang guide chow chow period of, also cognise as the Age of a angiotensin converting enzyme C trails of apprehension process, was a roiling era in Chinese history. Although these schools on the whole cont cease against each(prenominal) otherwise, they had the equivalent primary goal. To unify China. The three most(prenominal) influential schools of concept that existed were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Although ultimately it was legalist principles and methods that ended the compass point of the Warring renders, done the look of the Confucian thinkers, Qin Shihuandis legalist policies whitethorn rush been a harsh and everywheretly utilitarian path of unifying China.\r\nConfucianism is a school of thought that developed from one art objects expect for a more than â€Å"moral way ” of ruling. Kong Qiu, as he was named before history posthumously named him Kong Fuzi which was later â€Å"Latinized into Confucius, was born in to an â€Å"aristocratic nevertheless impoverished family â€Å". His experience with rituals of his native state of Lu in Northwestern China, led him to embark upon a â€Å"14 twelvemonth period of wandering with his students â€Å". Confucius traveled to respective(a) small courts attempted to convince their leadership to adopt his philosophies of life and ready handst. He hoped his ideas would return China to a â€Å"state of conformity and justice â€Å".\r\nConfucius later returned to his home and remained teaching, accept himself a failure, until his demolition in 479. In actuality he was out-of-the-way(prenominal) from a failure. His ideas open up throughout the kingdom and played a profound role in organization Chinese civilization. We must remember that the School of a Hundred thoughts took place during the Period of the Warring states. This was a blow upicularly turbulent period of history where philosophers were trying to amount up with some(prenomin al)thing they could to bring peace and positive rule to China. Many thinkers, much(prenominal) as Confucius, looked to the past to provide examples of for improvement.\r\nThe past, especially the Zhou dynasty, was largely mythicized and deald to be a â€Å" flourishing age of harmony and prosperity â€Å". Confucius believed the rational kings had it essentially right. A linguistic rule should be like a father run across to his spate and lead by example, not by business organisation. Confucius also drew upon other age- overaged Chinese celibacys such as filial piety or xiao, a moral humanity or ren, and ritual courtesy or li. Confucian thought emphasizes the principle that humans atomic number 18 loosely moral creatures and are â€Å"by fact, compel to comport themselves humanely and with integrity.\r\nWhile Confucianism preached preached a â€Å"doctrine of benevolent reform ” ground on the virtues of the past, Legalism contrarily evince a inexorable utilit arian regime. Leaders in legalist thought, realized that with the extreme disorder of their pitch day, new and drastic measures were necessary. For a organisation body to succeed, it would depend on a effective system of rewards and punishments. To ensure his power, the ruler had to cover his officials in line with austere rules and regulations and his population obedient with predictably implement laws.\r\nShang Yang, Han Feizi ga at that placed that the base of a states expertness was its armed forces and its agriculture. They then tried to discourage quite an a little from being merchants, scholars, philosophers, or artists because these careers did not â€Å"advance the interests of the state â€Å". Legalists imposed a strict regime with wakefully and rigorously defined laws and expectations. Failure to comply eve to the most negligible of laws resulted in strict punishment. Legalist thought was that this fear of their leaders would jeer compliance with the laws that govern the state as a whole.\r\nAlthough the harsh ideals of the legalist school of thought may necessitate later been smoothed out by adopting certain Confucian ideas, they originated as vastly different systems. We burn down see the legalist polices that Sima Quian recorded in his marvellous history of China as they were oblige by Qin Shihuandi. Confucians such as Mencius would hurt likely disagreed with this style of rule. There are umpteen discrepancies we can see when analyze Sima Quians literary works and the Analects recorded by students of Confucius. Qin Shihuangdi had a tower built on Mount Langya with clear inscriptions for his mountain to make out by.\r\nOne inscription reads ” Great are the Emperors achievements, men attend diligently to basic tasks, farming is encouraged, secondary pursuits discouraged. It is made clear that the â€Å"great emperor ” wants to suppress his peoples desires to follow up on anything moreover â€Å"basic task s ” that serve the greater good. This would sound preposterous for a Confucian thinker. How can the people get up a better society if they are dissuaded from raising? They may be forced to build walls or fight wars for the Emperor. Confucians did not believe in â€Å"governing with decrees and regulating with punishments â€Å".\r\nThey believed that the â€Å"people will evade ” their forced clobber and will have â€Å"no smell out of shame â€Å". They believed the better way to govern would be to lead by virtue and example. Whereas Qin Shihuangdi may promote a round-shouldered aristocrat to oversee the building of walls, a Confucian would promote an â€Å"upright â€Å"citizen who was conditioned and instructd. While the crooked man may punish insubordination with violence to terror others into plying, the straight man would â€Å"preside over them with dignity, [and his people] will be reverent; if [he] is filial and loving.\r\nHis subordinates would want to work for a man who believes in them and they would encourage each to work harder through their respect for one another. â€Å"As for sageness and humanity, how make bold i claim them? scarcely to learn it insatiably and instruct others indefatigably-that oft may be said of me, that is all”,” humbly stated master Confucius. lowliness also must have had a different meaning for Qin Shihuangdi as he was quoted â€Å"in his sagacity, benevolence and justice to have said: â€Å"I humbly notify that all records tho those of Qin be burned.\r\nIf anyone who is not a court scholar dares to keep the ancient songs, historical records or writings or writings of the hundred schools, these should be confiscated and burned… Those who in conversation dare to quote the old songs and records, should be publically executed, those who use old precedents to oppose the new order should have their families wiped out. This is a severe contrast to the Confucian beliefs th at were composed of many older ideals. Confucians studied ancient texts such as the Book of Documents, and the Book of Songs. The ideals they upheld emphasized the importance of education which came in part from these ancient texts.\r\nHow was a man to educate himself and raise his family out of poverty without an education. As Confucius says â€Å"If he learns, he will not be benighted â€Å", or unconditioned of the rituals that make a virtuousin shi. In a legalist China, where â€Å"no evil or impropriety is allowed” and where â€Å"kinsman care for each other â€Å", people who were often held to the principle of collective responsibility. either family members were expected to observe others closely, â€Å"forestall any illegal activity” and report it. point if it was against their own family or community members.\r\nIf there were such people who knew â€Å"of such groundss only when [failed] to report them, [they] should be punished in the same way. Thi s also is a far cry from the benevolent practice of xiao. In fact, it is fundamentally opposite of the superior teachings of Confucius. Whereas legalist scheme believes that children who rebel against their wrongdoing parents will turn out to be upstanding citizens, Master You states that â€Å"those who are not apt to defy their superiors, but are apt to stir up a rebellion simply do not exist. ” Although this is only a theory, I would say that it should hold more urine than Qin Shihuangdis.\r\nIf the state practices â€Å"filial piety and biovular obedience… [being] the roots of humanity… and the government activity conducts itself â€Å"with [a] virtue likened to the North Star ” one could surmise that it would be a more or less pleasant society to live in. excessively inscribed upon Qin Shihuangdis stele was the phrase, â€Å"The joint people know peace and have determined aside weapons and armor; kinsmen care for each other, there are no rob bers and thieves: men delight in his rule. ” A Confucian index believe this to be quite an exaggeration for to them there were no â€Å"common ” people. Only people who should be tough how you yourself would like to be treated.\r\nIn a society of people who are more encouraged to cultivate their own knowledge, and advance of skilled judgement there would be less of a need for strict rules and guidelines as the people should conduct themselves consort to the virtues and morals they have attained through education. The utilitarian procedures of legalism were largely responsible for the common lack of education among the common people of China. As a opinionated Confucian scholar under the decree of Qin Shihuangdi, I would be one of the people acquire together to â€Å"slander the laws ” and practices set in place by my legalist ruler.\r\nWhile qualification be able to agree that a legalist doctrine was responsible for building a unified state with a large p olitical organization that established a tradition of centralized imperial rule, i could speculate that China may have been a very different place had more Confucian values been implemented. As evidenced by the rule of Shang Yang, legalist authorities were successful simply through the fear they instilled in the common people. While passage work and agriculture was flourishing throughout the dynasty, so was unrest.\r\nShang Yang was quickly executed upon the death of his patron, his body mutilated and his family annihilated. In the case of Qin Shihaungdi, there were many who welcomed the stability his reign brought, yet still many heart-to-heart scholars, philosophers and others who criticized his regime. As the First Emperor didnt want his people to be confused with the old teachings of scholars, he demanded that the books be burned and had hundreds of scholars executed. We may never know what China would be like had more of the Confucian teachings survived but i believe that th eir history might be a little figure less bloody.\r\n'