Confucianism, Daoism, and Leagalism in China - Essay Example

Daoism is another ancient religion of China, which promotes the concepts of peace and harmony. If we talk about Legalism, we can say that it is a philosophy, which promotes the value of law in a society. Moral values are the cornerstone of the philosophy of Confucianism. The believers of Confucianism give great importance to the moral values and never do anything, which may go against their moral values. “Confucianism is mainly concerned with moral values, which form the cornerstone of its philosophy” (Islam Contemporary Perspective).

Confucianism gives rise to such a society where everyone gives preference to moral and ethics, and tries to promote a real peaceful society where there is harmony and tranquility between the individuals. Believers of Confucianism take care of their friends and never produce harm to any person. They love each other and take care of each other’s rights. Unlike Legalists, believers of Confucianism view history and poetry as educational resources, which they study to get awareness of their history, society, and traditions.

Another difference between Confucianism and Legalism is related to the preference of family. For Legalists, preference to family comes second to laws whereas in Confucianism, family is the top priority for a person and he/she takes every step for the protection of his/her family. Some of the strongest points of the religion of Confucianism include belief in God, belief in the angels, respect for moral values, elimination of insincerity, appreciation for beneficial arts, and feelings of sympathy for the foreigners.

Believers of Confucianism give extreme importance to the formation of strong governments. It is a fact that the role of a strong government is very important for the development of an orderly society. Therefore, the believers of Confucianism believe that a ruler should exhibit good morals and ethics in order to develop and maintain an orderly society. If we talk about Daoism, we can say that believers of Daoism believe in the importance of peace, harmony, kindness towards others, and sincerity.

There is no concept of selfishness in the religion of Daoism. Believers of Daoism live a very peaceful life and do not struggle for such things, which can make their lives difficult. “Daoism believes that life is generally happy but that it should be lived with balance and virtue” (Chiu). Daoism promotes easy and peaceful life where there are no tensions between people. “Ritual is an important part of religious Taoism, and the rites are specific to particular deities and departed ancestors” (Harmon).

De, Immortality, and The Dao are the main components of Daoism. De refers to the concepts of morality and integrity whereas Immortality refers to the concept of helping others through mediation. The believers of Daoism create such society where every individual tries to achieve immortality by helping others in every field of life. The Way is considered the ultimate truth in Daoism. It refers to the way people live their lives. “Daoists do not believe in extremes, instead focusing on the interdependence of things” (Chiu).

If we talk about Legalism, we can say that government comes before anything else in a pure Legalist society. People abide by the laws and do not do anything, which goes beyond the limits of law. People serve the government their level best because they know the importance of a well-structured and