Ancient Chinas Major Philosophies.

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Ancient China’s Philosophies In China there were three major philosophies, which were Legalism, Daoism, and Confucianism. All of them played an important role in China. One major philosophy that came out of China was Confucianism. Confucians strongly believed in Duty, humanity, and the Filial Piety. Duty is a work ethic, it meant that you had to work hard to fulfill the duties and the affairs of society will prosper as a whole. In order to maintain humanity you must be compassionate and have empathy towards others. They believed in Filial Piety, which was the belief that every family member had his or her place, meaning they had to have respect for each other. According to Confucians, the “Golden Rule” was “What you do not like when done unto you, do not do unto others!” In simpler terms it means: treat others the way you want to be treated. Confucians believed in Civil Service. The Civil Service systems worked by having officials earn their positions by merit. People were divided and then selected by how qualified they were. In every philosophy they have an “Ideal Ruler.” In order to fit Confucians “Ideal Ruler” you must set a good example, set laws that aren’t too harsh, and be virtuous. “The character of a ruler is like wind and that of the people is like grass. In whatever direction the wind blows, the grass always bends.” (Doc.2) this basically means whatever you do your people will do the same, so you should lead by example. Another major philosophy that came out of Ancient China was Legalism. Legalist believed in strict laws and harsh punishments. There laws applied to everyone, they believed it created equality and strengthened the emperor’s power. Since the laws strengthened his power it also made a stronger central government. This was the purpose of law in governing a nation according to Han Fei. In order to achieve peace and prosperity legalist’s
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