Comparing Confucianism, Daoism, And Legalism

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Even with the differences between Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, all three of these philosophies were essential in unifying and strengthening China’s government and people. First, Confucianism brought ideas of respect towards others to China, resulting in a more peaceful empire. One way these ideas were exemplified through the leaders that practiced Confucianism; they were not oppressive and were in return trusted as kind, responsible leaders by the people of China. The creator of Confucianism, Confucius, stated, “It is better to live among tigers than to live under a bad government” (82). Confucius truly cared that the government was run fairly and that it was not corrupt. This idea was one of three virtues that made up Confucianism including ren, or humanity, li, or ritual, and xiao, or filial piety.…show more content…
Next, Daoism was a philosophy that focused more on the peacefulness of life, and incorporated ideas of freedom and simplicity into government and everyday life. Daosim called for people to accept what they had, and try not to go for more, because, “if there was no property, there would be no theft, if there were no law there would be no crime, and if there were no fame there would be no disgrace” (83). This, in a way, summed up Daoism. It was a religion based on living simple lives with little rules, fame, or property. This meant that a government following these rules would not be oppressive at all. They would just strongly suggest to people to be passive and not do anything bad, and the end result would be a peaceful country. Finally, there was Legalsim, which used harsh, oppressive tactics such as strict laws to whip people into shape. This could be seen as the opposite of the other two philosophies, as it is much more oppressive. This was done by instilling fear into the people of China, and creating very strict laws that if broken, had devastating
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