Confucianism
Confucianism was a Chinese philosophy founded by Confucius (Kongfuzi) who lived from 551 BC – 479 BC (period of chaos), Confucianism was one of the many philosophies where women had to be inferior to men. Confucianism had the believes of Filial Piety where subjects had to be superior to their rulers. Confucianism also had the 5 virtues :
- Ren : benevolence
- Yi: honesty
- Zhi: knowledge
- Xin: integrity
- Li: politeness
They also had the 5 constant relationships:
- Husband & Wife
Women had to be inferior to men, women were not allowed to go against the will of the men, if they did the men would have the choice of punishment.
- Older Brother & Younger Brother
The younger brother has to listen to the older brother
But unlike the relationship between Husband and Wife the consequences if the younger brother goes against the will of the older brother are up to the parents.
- Older Friend & Younger Friend
- The relationship between the Older Friend & Younger Friend
Is like the relationship between Older Brother and Younger Brother but instead the choice is up to the older friend.
- Ruler & Subject
- Parent & Child
One of the many goals in Confucianism was social harmony, they were not allowed to interfere with the universe. The sacred text of Confucianism were the Analects Of Confucius.
Teachings of Confucianism:
- Belief in the Dao (the way)
- Duty and humanity
- Unequal relationships
Analects of Confucius:
The moral force of the profound person is like the wind;
the moral force of the small person is like the grass.
Let the wind blow over the grass and it’s sure to bend.
Confucianism was carried on after the death of Confucius by his followers, it was well respected & practiced in the Han Dynasty, it adopted it’s principles.Confucianism was well respected and had a lot of rules against women, but unlike Legalism there were no rules or beliefs that humans were evil by nature and that they needed a strong ruler and harsh punishments that’s why Confucianism lasted longer than Legalism.