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