Confucianism And Daoism Similarities

In China, the rising of a civilization came with the emergence of a philosophy or effort to understand more about the universe and the people in it. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism are examples of these philosophies, they may be similar in some ways but are also very different. Confucianism is a system of social and ethical philosophies that was founded by the great philosopher Confucius. His ideas in the Confucian Analects let a big mark in Chinese history and culture. Confucius was skeptical of Heaven and instead believed that there was a “rational order” to the universe. Confucianism mainly revolves around politics and ethics. A main element of Confucianism is human behavior, ethics and morality were key principles of this philosophy. …show more content…
It is hard to determine the original concepts of Daoism since its primary document is very difficult to understand. However, the basic beliefs are pretty simple. Like Confucianism, Daoism focuses on human behavior. It is different from Confucianism because it does not call for action, instead for inaction. This means that they believe the best way to live in harmony is to let nature take its course, when Confucianist think it is our job to better the earth. Daoism isn’t as strict as Confucianism, and allows for more unconventional approach while calling for social …show more content…
As opposed to Confucius who believed that human nature was good, Legalist said that human being were born bad by nature. They thought people needed to be controlled by harsh laws and stiff punishments, this was to maintain control in society. They disagreed with the Confucian view that the only good government was the one with “superior men,” they wanted impartial laws. This was also very different to Daoism, which states that people should do what they want and there should not be many laws. Legalists thought that the only way to get social order was with firm action by the state. They said that the fear of being punished was a greater motivator than a reward. Only a strong ruler could create an orderly society, not even government officials could be trusted because of their corrupt human nature. Creating a strong state was more important that human

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