# GEP1005 Week 6 Part 2

**Channel:** BAUGO
**Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_WySEztHiM
**Transcript page:** https://www.withtranscript.ai/video/a_WySEztHiM

## Chapters

- 0:09 — Confucianism and Social Harmony
- 3:58 — Daoism and Retreat from Disorder
- 5:36 — Legalism and Strong State Power

## Transcript

**[0:09]:** let's look at briefly philosophical remedies for the long crisis in china confucianism the sea was the distinctive class of scholars and bureaucrats they were under the threat of warrior lords in the arrival kingdoms the rising power of the wealthy merchant class found a distinguished chief called kung fusi or confucius as popularly known confections is the latinized form of kung fusi which means master kong confucius was born in 551 bc in a she family he had education on music rituals and writing he used to earn his living through fishing he traveled with his disciples in order to find a ruler who would effectuate his ideas having failed to find a ruler to effectuate his ideas he died in 474 bc during his lifetime he had a reputation as being man of wisdom his ideas were not accepted by the rulers since they were seen as impractical his disciples collected his ideas and sayings in one word

**[1:24]:** the analects or collective sayings begins with thus confucius says he was not a religious teacher like buddha but a social philosopher in the analects it is read that he was a man of wisdom moderation propriety good sense and optimism in the era he lived in which cruelty dominated he had integrity human ideas and rationality he described himself as a transmitter of the knowledge and a conservative or advocator of the chinese tradition he did not see himself as an innovator according to him the shang and early zoo era was the ideal for the well-being of the people he struggled to search for social order and harmony which he saw as the needs of the chinese society according to him social order and harmony could be achieved only if chinese rulers based their ruling on educated and wise men and such men is only available in the sea he believed that some men are destined to rule

**[2:39]:** because of their talents to govern women were excluded these men according to confucius were superior not because of aristocratic birth but because of their education they were not born as superior but they became superior to education to serve the society the well-being of common people relies on the emperors and their advisor's decisions common people should be the utmost concerns of emperors and their advisors according to confucius it is possible to provide social order and harmony through personal ties of loyalty and obedience there are five crucial links in his philosophy for a harmonious society father and son elder brother and younger brother husband and five political tie between ruler and subject social thai friend and friend according to confucius if these ties were honored the state intervention would be needed at the minimum level for the lives of people and if the educated men of wisdom are in charge for china war and social order would

**[3:58]:** end in the country daoism another philosopher called lyozi in the late zoo period made some suggestions and advises for the ills of the chinese society the central concept in daoism is dao which means way there is the creator of the universe it functions on a cosmic not human scale laozi leiosi suggested retreat into the nature to end the social disorder according to laozi if human beings contemplate they could adapt with the tao or cosmic force which is the source of all creation although his philosophy mostly concerned with the withdrawal from the worldly affairs laiosi did not leave out giving advices to chinese rulers he criticized them because of their interest in war pleasure and luxury's life in their palaces like confucius he believed in the necessity that rulers should have wisdom and they should be honest administrators for the well-being of the society unlike configures laozi did not see a strong state and righteous society

**[5:18]:** as the primary goals of the wise men he sold these as the temporary concerns for the man of wisdom who basically deal with searching of hidden meanings of the creation and human life legalism is the third classical chinese

**[5:36]:** thought it developed in the age of the kin dynasty which ended the recurrent destructive wars and eventually unified china a group of thinkers concerned with the question of how to end the wars in china they believed that unity and a strong state would provide an actual peace in china this group of political philosophers was called as legalists according to the same allegiant resources shang yang who had been a kin ruler in the middle of the 4th century bc was the founder of the legalist school legalists did not make reference to the earlier times according to them in the earlier ages there were less population and more food therefore ruling was easier changing conditions requires new methods of ruling in the book of shangyang it was argued that china should have absolute rulers according to him people's main duty is to serve the state with obedience and those who oppose the laws should be punished severely

**[6:47]:** according to the legalists the war was necessary to expand the state power therefore they favored conscription to have a powerful army the goals were to expand the strength and prosperity of china that could be possible only with the absolute rule and strict laws the ruler should be absolute but the law should be above the ruler he eventually created a massive complicated bureaucratic state and advocated unification of chinese states expanding the army beyond the nobility and giving land as a reward to the peasants who enlisted were shan yang's innovations this provided to form a massive infantry which was less expensive to maintain than the traditional chariot forces shenyang's ideas had laid the foundation for the kin

**[7:51]:** empire