Compare And Contrast Daoist And Confucianism

In essence, chapter 52 of the Dao De Jing asserts that Earth’s environment, Mother Nature, gave birth to all life. As children of Mother Nature, humankind must protect Earth’s environment, for if we do so, we will not struggle in creating a self-sustaining environment. But if humans compete against and destroy nature, we will never be successful. By repeatedly relating humans with nature, early Confucian and Daoist philosophers advocated that humans and nature are not all that different; the two are connected, and humanity is only part of a larger whole. All things in nature coexist and should not harm each other. But while Confucian and Daoist thought resurged into modern day China, China’s current environmental situation can hardly be considered
“Searching for roots” literature emerged, attempting to rediscover what it means to be Chinese. Traditional Chinese culture is embedded in “The ‘Root’ of Literature” by Han Shaogong, which advocates that in order to reboot a new era of modernization, China must return to its roots, before the days of socialism, and re embrace traditional Chinese values. This literature rejects Mao’s policies, like revolution by the uneducated, the Great Leap Forward, and disregard for traditional Chinese
By so widely opening up China to the rest of the world in terms of economic and industrial activity, Deng Xiaoping’s policies attracted a wealth of foreign manufacturers to build factories in China, taking advantage of low labor costs; while China’s industry and economy skyrocketed, the negative externalities of such expansion were underestimated. Many chemical plants dispose of factory waste by dumping its chemicals into rivers and lakes. The excessive use of dirty fossil fuels such as coal, while easy and energy dense, contribute substantially to air pollution and smog. This smog, in turn, may carry bacterial genes, which, in conjunction with China’s history of antibiotic abuse, may worsen antibiotic resistance. From the burning of dirty fossil fuels, which usually contain nitrogen and sulfur, nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds are released into the atmosphere; these nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds mix with rain water to form sulfuric and nitric acid, resulting in land erosion and respiratory diseases. Dams, such as those in the Yangtze River, threaten the habitats of wildlife, reducing biodiversity and affecting food chains. China’s current environmental situation seems like an insurmountable problem for the foreseeable future, greatly affecting everyday