A Comparison between Confucianism and Taoism - Essay Example

There was a lot of philosophical growth in China in the 6th century B.C.E. This was a time when various people came up with philosophies that they believed in and got a number of followers who ascribed to the teachings that they propounded. It was during that time that the two most influential spiritual leaders in native China are believed to have lived and taught their followers.The author of Taoism is believed to be Lao-tzu, very little is known of him but according to a myth about him, his birth occurred at around 604 B.C.E.

where he came out of the womb as an old white-haired man full of wisdom. Saddened by the society’s lack of good morals, he decided to leave his home in Luoyang so as to live the rest of his life in solitude beyond the walls of China. While passing through the city gates for the final time, the gatekeeper asked him to write his parting thoughts and what he put down became the most important text of Taoism. On the other hand, Confucianism was coined by Confucius; he was a government employee then a Political advisor to the rulers of the Chou dynasty.

Later he began teaching a small group of students and after his death, his ethics and moral teachings were written down by his students and came to be known as the Lunyu or Analects hence Confucianism. Learning to be human is the main goal of Confucianism. According to Confucius, each person should act with virtue in all social matters such as the family, community, state and the kingdom at large in order to ensure order and unity. On the other hand, Taoists believe that the whole universe and everything that is in it flows with a mysterious unknown force known as Tao.

The Tao explains the power that drives the universe and the wonder of human nature (Ford, 1). People who ascribe to this religion believe that everything is one despite how they appear to be. The two religions have some similarities in that the masters of both of them acted as role models for the society at the time when their philosophies were coined. The two philosophies are also the same in that they have a close element to religion hence they are both referred to as religions of the world (Ford, 1).

According to Ford, 1, it seems that the Taoist and Confucian thought differ greatly with regard to education. Lao Tzu said, ‘…the more you know, the less you understand…’ He also said that ‘…not knowing is true knowledge…’ With such statements, it seems that Lao Tzu did not advocate for thinking and learning. On the other hand, in Ford, 1, Confucius once said that, “…If one learns but does not think, one is lost; if one thinks but does not learn, one is in danger…”These kinds of statements from the leaders of these two religions show that they had very different views with regard to education and thinking.

Even though the two religions seem to differ in the way they view many aspects of life, one area that they agree on is transformation. Taoists believe that enlightenment, their highest achievement is obtained by the gradual transformation of a person. This gradual transformation is obtained by following the ways of the Taoists as passed down from generation to generation. This is the same case in Confucianism, those who ascribe to Confucianism believe that their religion is not static concerned only with human interactions (Ford, 1).

As opposed to this, they believe that transformation of the self is the drive that gives rise to all other Confucian ideals and the ultimate enlightenment. In this regard, Taoists believe the same way as the Confucians, transformation is the aspect that leads to complete enlightenment. The methodology of passing lessons is another area of distinction between the two philosophies. In Confucianism, the lessons are most of the time passed from the teacher to the students in the form of a dialogue.

Actually, most of the time, Confucian teachings are recorded question and answer sessions between the students and the master. On the contrary, Taoism is spread through Lao Tzu’s direct writing. Here, there is a main manuscript known as the ‘Tao Te Ching’ that has many poetic monologues that are best understood if read as one. This is one significant difference that the two philosophies have despite the fact that they are both trying to advocate for almost similar tenets of the religion.

Confucianism as a philosophy is more conversant with the earth in that it focuses on the connection between man and the immediate society whereas Taoism focuses more on man’s connection to the entire universe. This makes the two philosophies rather different (Ford, 1).