Founded on Confucius’ (551-479 BCE) teachings

• Most famous Chinese philosopher

• Grew up impoverished → learned from feudal practices

  • Watched what higher-ups did, learned how to copy

• Never wrote down his teachings

  • Students wrote it down in the Analects: book compiling all his principles

    • Became foundation for social life in China

    • Philosophy centered around it

Government + society grounded in Confucianism thought

• Basic order in the universe

• Natural harmony linking man + nature + cosmos

  • Man = naturally social

    • Five relationships with reciprocity

      • Ruler <-> subjects

      • Husband <-> wife

      • Parent <-> child

      • Elder brother <-> younger brother

      • Friend <-> friend

• Filial piety = children’s devotion to parents

  • Family = primary social unit

    • Caused society to view government ruler as “father” of the state

• Ren = highest virtue

  • Humaneness/sense of relatedness to other persons

• Dao = the right way/path

  • Following the correct virtues leads you in harmony with dao

• Mandate of heaven = ruler gets authority from heaven → Heaven’s son

  • Rulers are supposed to help the state + people

    • Expectations = stability + wealth + population growth + good living conditions

• All humans are essentially alike

  • Change throughout education + environment

    • Why Confucius stressed education

• Man = naturally good

  • Affected government rule

    • Ruler’s main function = educating/transforming population using moral examples

    • Merit bureaucracy = civil service with elected officials with the best moral role modeling

      • Used civil service exams to choose candidates

Fell into decline at the fall of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 AD)

• Dormant for roughly 600 years