Essay

PHIL322 Mid term: Confucianism is Best Suited for the Kingdom

19 views 0 purchase

Course
BUS/MKTG

Institution
Thompson River University (TRU )

Societies are built by human beings for human beings and any other animals or things which add to the wellbeing of human societies. Thus central to any form of social organization must be the human being in his or her individual capacity. To understand human needs and human desires it is important ...

[Show more]

Preview 2 out of 5 pages

View example

Uploaded on January 4, 2021
Number of pages 5
Written in 2019/2020
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

confucianism
confucianism is best suited for the kingdom

Welch1 Member since 6 year 61 documents sold

CA$10.79

Added

Add to cart Add to wishlist

100% satisfaction guarantee
Immediately available after payment
Both online and in PDF
No strings attached

Surname 1

Name

Instructor

Course Title

Date

Confucianism is Best Suited for the Kingdom

Societies are built by human beings for human beings and any other animals or things

which add to the wellbeing of human societies. Thus central to any form of social organization

must be the human being in his or her individual capacity. To understand human needs and

human desires it is important to get to the core of the human nature. The nature of the human

being is intrinsically good. Every individual wants to co-exist and prosper. If this is truly the

nature of the human being then the best philosophy for any kingdom must be that which

strengthens these values. I present that Confucianism is the best suited philosophy for the

kingdom because it observes the aforementioned principles of the human being thus when

followed effectively would have the best possible outcome.

To proceed with the justification of the importance of Confucianism and what gives it

advantage over others as the Kingdom’s official philosophy it is important to note their

differences. Beginning in the chaotic era of late Zhou, Daoism began as an outgrown of

Confucianism through an escapist movement that preached the gospel of timeliness (pp 18). It

follows the philosophy of Laozi, a historical legend who wrote the famous Daodejing. Daoism

advocates the belief of The Dao, meaning the way of the cosmos. It further states that for human

beings to achieve maximum happiness possible they need to be more passive. Ultimately,

according to Daoism, human beings should aim to live in harmony with the cosmos. The Daoist

values include acting without acting, a refrain from conventional education, an embrace of

, Surname 2

simple life and the enjoining and sustenance of self-sustaining communities (Kohn, 3). For the

chaotic state created by the warring period, Daoism seeks a refrain from the ambition and

attempt to fix the government and the system as a whole. Eventually, the philosophy claims,

every piece of society will fall in place if divorced from human intervention. Refrain from

education and a less government is also central to this school of thought. Thus it would seem that

the central philosophy here is held in a kind of paradox; on the one hand human beings are asked

to refrain from doing yet the act of refraining, in and of itself, require action.

The other school of thought that can be implemented to see the kingdom through the

warring period crisis and lead its people to prosperity is legalism. This school of thought departs

from a point of total mistrust in the innate goodness of human beings. Founded by Shang Yang

in the years between 390 – 388 BCE, the Legalist philosophy was based on the ideas of an iron

fist administrator in the Qin state (Zhao, 41). Yang advocated for strong administration and a

strong government. Central to the legalist philosophy was the creation and implementation of

clear and strict laws, harsh penalties for those who break the law and a focus of strong arm

government agencies like the military and agriculture. According to this school of thought no

other sections of society are worth government and or even human intervention. It advocates an

extreme form of specialization of labor in administration, military, and agriculture. But its

biggest weakness is its origination from an elite member of society. A top brass administrator has

no connection with the ground and is therefore unable to understand the needs of the people.

Of these three schools of thought Confucianism is the best suited to lead the kingdom to

prosperity. The philosophy takes to account the nature of human beings in its central philosophy.

Unlike Daoism, Confucianism is not religious or philosophical and keeps it teachings very

simple and practical. This simplicity and practicality of Confucius’ teaching can perhaps be

traced to his humble beginnings as a commoner. Thus its values are based on human feelings and

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Welch1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for CA$10.79. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

72042 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling

Essay

PHIL322 Mid term: Confucianism is Best Suited for the Kingdom

Document information

Subjects

Written for

Seller

Reviews received

Content preview