Ch 5 Responses
Ch 5 Margin and Big Picture Answers
Margin Review Questions 1 What different answers to the problem of disorder arose in classical China? • Three major schools of thought that emerged from the Warring States period. • Legalism was a hardheaded practical philosophy based on a rather pessimistic view of human nature that assumed that people were stupid and shortsighted. • Supporters of Legalism argued that only the state could act in the long-term interests of society as a whole. They advocated a system of clearly defined laws and rules, strictly enforced through rewards and punishments, as the best means of securing desirable behavior from subjects. • Confucianism argued that social harmony could only be restored through the moral example of superiors. Confucius emphasized that, because human society (both within the family and in public life) consisted primarily of unequal relationships, social harmony relied on the superior party in these relationships behaving with sincerity, benevolence, and genuine concern for others. Only then would the inferior party be motivated to respond with deference and obedience. • Daoism provided a third alternative, arguing that disorder stemmed from human actions and that order could return to life if people withdrew from the world of political and social activism and instead aligned themselves with dao, the way of nature. In practice, this meant simplicity in living, small self-sufficient communities, limited government, and the abandonment of education and active efforts at self-improvement.
2. Why has Confucianism been defined as a “humanistic philosophy” rather than a supernatural religion? • The thrust of Confucian teaching was distinctly this-worldly and practical, concerned with human relationships, effective government, and social harmony. • Confucianism is based on the cultivation of ren—translated as human-heartedness, benevolence, goodness, nobility of heart. Ren is not achieved through divine intervention but
Margin Review Questions 1 What different answers to the problem of disorder arose in classical China? • Three major schools of thought that emerged from the Warring States period. • Legalism was a hardheaded practical philosophy based on a rather pessimistic view of human nature that assumed that people were stupid and shortsighted. • Supporters of Legalism argued that only the state could act in the long-term interests of society as a whole. They advocated a system of clearly defined laws and rules, strictly enforced through rewards and punishments, as the best means of securing desirable behavior from subjects. • Confucianism argued that social harmony could only be restored through the moral example of superiors. Confucius emphasized that, because human society (both within the family and in public life) consisted primarily of unequal relationships, social harmony relied on the superior party in these relationships behaving with sincerity, benevolence, and genuine concern for others. Only then would the inferior party be motivated to respond with deference and obedience. • Daoism provided a third alternative, arguing that disorder stemmed from human actions and that order could return to life if people withdrew from the world of political and social activism and instead aligned themselves with dao, the way of nature. In practice, this meant simplicity in living, small self-sufficient communities, limited government, and the abandonment of education and active efforts at self-improvement.
2. Why has Confucianism been defined as a “humanistic philosophy” rather than a supernatural religion? • The thrust of Confucian teaching was distinctly this-worldly and practical, concerned with human relationships, effective government, and social harmony. • Confucianism is based on the cultivation of ren—translated as human-heartedness, benevolence, goodness, nobility of heart. Ren is not achieved through divine intervention but