Three main philosophies in China and its political and social influences

Three main philosophies in China and its political and social influences

All started in the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring State period, when China was divided into local states and occupied by local rulers, these three philosophies inevitably involved the philosopher’s reflections of the chaotic social and political situation at that time.  

Confucianism: Although Confucianism had been claimed to be the official “leading philosophy” since Han Dynasty. It was dismissed by the rulers in Confucius’ era. Condemned as “impractical” and “weak”, Confucianism was not suitable for the social context during the Confucius’ period. Nonetheless, in Han Dynasty, when the society was united, relatively peaceful and prosperous, the Han Wu emperor reconsidered to utilize the ideas of Confucianism. The core values of Confucianism----”礼义廉耻”（order, respect, integrity, loyalty, altruism, compassion),“忠君爱国”(loyal to the emperor, love the country)，“重官轻商” (value politics, devalue business)，“重义轻利” (value morals , devalue greediness)----are very favorable for an emperor who wanted to centralize his power but at the same time maintain a “generous” and “loving” self-image. Promoting Confucianism is also helpful for stabilizing the society and earning “hearts” from the people. The Han Dynasty adopted Confucianism largely because they tried to avoid repeating the fate of Qin. 

Daoism: Unlike Confucianism and Legalism, Daoism emphasizes much more on “nature”. Although Daoism had never been adopted as a political philosophy in China, it was indeed very popular among the commoners. A popular religious group, “道教” (also called “Daoism” in English, but different from the philosophical Daoism)，is generated from Daoism. One of the interesting fact to note is that lots of emperors in Chinese history wanted to gain “eternal life”, including Han Wu Emperor. They invited the Daoists to make “medicines” which can help them live forever. Obviously, those medicines never worked. However, because of the emperors’ fascination with these “medicines”, they made lots of irrational decisions that actually altered the path of Chinese history. 

Legalism: Legalism continued to have significant influence in China. It helped Qin to prosper and conquer over the other six main states to unify the country. Later on, it contributed significantly to the consolidation of the Qin Dynasty. Although Confucianism was claimed to be the “official” philosophy in China, Legalism never disappears from historical stage. The successive dynasties adopted the ideas of legalism and incorporate them into Confucianism.