Confucianism, Daoism, and Society

Two of the major schools of thoughts within Chinese culture are Confucianism and Daoism. Confucianism is based on Confucius’ writings that outline “the right social order” (Bresnan 301). He believed the government should “be the leader and protector of the people” and establish order in society” (Bresnan 308). Daoism is an abstract idea, a philosophy that honors the order of nature and seeks to live in harmony with it. 

A majority of Chinese society is based on Confucius’ “grand ideal[s]” (Bresnan 301). It began with Confucius’ education system, which ensured that the government would employ people who were capable of running the government he envisioned. This system was “based largely on… the classics of Chinese literature,” as well as etiquette and philosophy (Bresnan 309). Ideally, this education system would be open to all while still preserving social classes.

Print of Confucius

His philosophy also stretched to relationships- Confucius believed that the right order of society should begin in the home, that families should be led by respected and loving fathers. The ruler of the government should act as a father to a large family- the state. In Chinese culture the “values learned within one’s” family were “to be extended to the broader society as one matured,” meaning that as people joined society, they reflected their family’s values and behavior (Bresnan 310).  

This Confucian family translated into the “Five Cardinal Relationships: ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, elder brother and younger brother, and friend and friend” (Bresnan 311). Each of these roles had their own responsibilities, both to the lesser and more powerful of the two. The relationship between friend and friend was more equal, focusing on bettering each other. 

These ideals still stand within Chinese society, and for them to have lasted through thousands of years and as many dynasties and governments as they have is amazing. The fortitude of Confucianism within itself is grand, but also the scale to which it was implemented. 

Statue of Lao Tzu in Quanzhou, China

Daoism is more philosophical than Confucianism, focusing on one’s role within the world rather than one’s role in society. Confucianism seeks to create harmony within society and Daoism seeks harmony with nature. 

It is said that Confucius once met with Lao Tzu, the great philosopher of Daoism, and came out of the meeting “exhausted and almost shaking,” telling those he saw that Lao Tzu was a “very dangerous man!” (Bresnan 336). This may have been because of the difference in worldviews between the two- the rigidity and idealism of Confucius clashing with the organic yet uncompromising Lao Tzu. 

Daoist Art

This rigidity was precisely the reason Daoists did not like Confucianism- the “simple, natural life” that could reestablish harmony between humanity and nature was lost to Confucius’ strict system (Bresnan 339). Daoists did not seek to reorder society, but rather restore it. They believe government is a necessary evil and that “agricultural and craft[ing]” lifestyles are best suited for maintaining society (Bresnan 343). This is due in part to the destructiveness of large cities, despite their ease and convenience.  

These two philosophies are near opposites, but they both analyze how humanity can live in harmony with itself and the world around them. The time in which they were founded reflects China's landscape at the time. Both came out of a time of corruption and war in China- the Spring and Autumn period. They sought to find how they could improve the world around them, how they could make sense of the violent lives they now live in. The ideals of these philosophies still ring true today, as humanity wrestles with violence, ecological disaster, and a pandemic in an unprecedented era of globalization.

The above video discusses one of the most famous aspects of Daoism, the yin and the yang.

Works Cited

Baird Rattini, Kristin. “Who Was Confucius?” Culture, National Geographic, 3 May 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/confucius.

“Confucius and Confucianism.” Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, by PATRICK S. BRESNAN, 5th ed., Routledge, 2018, pp. 301–333.

“Daoism.” Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, by PATRICK S. BRESNAN, 5th ed., Routledge, 2018, pp. 334–360.

“Daoism: Media.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Daoism/images-videos#/media/1/582972/3671.

“Laozi: Media.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Laozi/images-videos#/media/1/330163/136699.