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Kevin has edited encyclopedias, taught middle and high school history, and has a master's degree in Islamic law.
China during the 6th century BCE was in the midst of a great period of turmoil. For more than 200 years no real power had united China, despite the nominal power of the Zhou dynasty during the Spring and Autumn period. However, during the Warring States period, war and chaos consumed the Chinese countryside as no single power was able to maintain control. It was in this period that two of China's greatest philosophical traditions began: Confucianism and Taoism.
Confucius was born in the 6th century BCE to a family of minor officials to a minor ruler. In other words, he came from a pretty humble background, as far as philosophers whose work changed history go. From this background he was able to become educated and work out a philosophy called Confucianism that based itself on the ideals that people were naturally good, that education helped to make sure people remained good and avoided evil, and that relationships between people kept society functioning at its best levels as long as the relationships were being fulfilled.
According to Confucius, if those requirements were met, society would be just and the ruler would have the Mandate of Heaven, or moral high ground to rule, under Chinese thought. Needless to say, all this proved pretty popular with the Chinese of the period, who were very interested in any sort of way to recreate stability. Peasants liked it because it acknowledged that while they were subservient to their masters, that their masters could not just treat them like slaves. Masters liked it because it gave them the moral high ground to continue treating their servants, well, like servants.
Confucius wasn't the only great philosopher of the Warring States period, however. Another philosopher, named Laozi, would be instrumental in writing about Taoism. Taoism is concerned with understanding something called Tao, or 'the way' that makes up everything in the world.
The Tao is unable to be expressed in words, as it would limit the Tao. Think about it like this: if you've ever heard the saying, 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' what if it were a really big picture, or a picture with a lot of things going on? Would a thousand words really be enough to describe that picture and everyone and everything in it? By using words, we are limiting our ability to describe Tao, but according to Taoist philosophy, it is everywhere and makes up everything.
Also important to the idea of Taoism is that nature is in balance. The best way to think of this is through a symbol used throughout Taoism that I bet you've seen before: the yin-yang. This symbol shows how everything is in balance, although each side has a little of the other to keep things interesting.
Surprisingly for such different philosophies, both Confucianism and Taoism actually worked well together, even with the same person following both ideals! Whereas Confucianism is pretty easy to explain, Taoism is much more difficult to comprehend. Confucianism valued living in a series of relationships as the best way of achieving harmony with nature, whereas Taoism instead focused on finding balance with nature to ensure good relationships. If this sounds confusing, it really is sort of a question about which comes first: the chicken or the egg.
Luckily for the Chinese, you didn't necessarily have to choose. Many Chinese would apply Confucian principles to their work lives and Taoist philosophy while at home. Think about it like this: many people love their jobs, whether it's working on computers or being a doctor or being a student or being outdoors. But, how many people want to do that work all the time? How many people don't want to take a break to watch TV or play tennis or golf or even video games? Just as we may love our nine to five jobs, we also have our passions away from what we are supposed to do.
In this lesson, we learned about how two philosophies, Confucianism and Taoism, shaped China during the Warring States period. We saw how Confucianism governed interactions between individuals and emphasized education, and how Taoism focused on understanding the vastness of the world and harmony with nature. Finally, we saw how both Confucianism and Taoism reached their own harmony, with many people adhering to both philosophies at the same time.
With the lesson over, let's explore what you learned:
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