Ancient Chinese Philosophies

• 2100-475 BCE, Xia + Shang + Zhou dynasties -> Chinese history begins
• Ancestor worship
  • Dead family members continue to exist
  • Influence the fortune of the living
    • The living have to sustain spirits + protect graves
  • Interested in the affairs of the world
  • Builds the concept of respecting elders
• Filial piety
  • Respect of elders -> builds from ancestor worship
  • Parent dies -> child visits tomb regularly for 3 years
  • Makes up for the 3 years the child was a helpless infant
• Feng shui
  • Art of designing harmonious environments
  • Belief that surroundings closely affect + connect to people
  • ^^Yin + Yang^^ = harmony
  • Yin = negative, passive, feminine, earthly, dark, weak
  • Yang = positive, active, masculine, heaven, light, strength
  • Balance of ^^five elements^^: water, wood, fire, earth, metal
• Qi
  • Life force: combination of real + abstract sources
  • Sunlight, cosmic influence, color vibrations, flow of water, etc
  • Necessary for good feng shui
• Dao = way/path (typically the right path)
• Confucianism
  • Confucius = early philosopher
  • Less deistic -> more on how to treat other people
  • Mencius = writer of Confucian texts
  • Human nature is essentially good + desire companionship
  • Five basic relationships to build:
    • Parents
    • Elderly
    • Rulers
    • Man
    • Friend
• Daoism
  • Only indigenous religion of China
  • Laozi = writer of Dao De Jing (original name of Daoism)
  • Historians doubt if he ever existed
  • Encourages to embrace more of yin/feminine side
  • During warring period -> too much “masculinity”/yang
  • ^^Wuwei^^ = effortless balance of yin and yang
  • “Non-action”
  • Inspired by nature -> solves its own imbalances naturally
• Legalism
  • Philosophy dominant in Qin dynasty
  • Created by Shang Yang -> official in Qin court
  • People are inherently selfish -> must be governed by an emperor
  • “Two hands”: rewards + punishments
  • Strict rules/codes

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