Our discussion in class really helped me to understand the basics of Confucius' teachings. I found the diagram put it into perspective.
Legalists
Confucius
Taoists
The Legalists believe in rigid structure, and that society cannot survive unless it enforces it's rules. The Taoists, on the other hand, are pretty much an anti-civilization movement. The teachings of Confucius are right in the middle. This makes his message seem almost like the perfect balance. Just based off of what we've read so far, do you think this seems ideal?
I think that Legalism and Taoism both have some serious negative implications associated with them that Confucius saw as such. For the former, it's the lack of freedom and blatantly incorrect view of how to run civilization. As it turns out, laws don't always accomplish what they intend to set out.
ReplyDeleteFor Taoism on the other hand, I don't think everybody is geared to be a hermit, cut off from society. It seems silly and unnecessary to "get back to nature," doesn't it?
Confucianism on the other hand seems to solve both problems, but there are some questions that could be asked about some of the more esoteric parts.
This is closley related to my blog, and I am questioning if there are too many variables to rank the three against each other. I know that Legalism is very strict and Taoists are very quiet and simple. But because they are not measuring the same variables to say which is more negative or neutral.
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