Daoism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Daoism, or Taoism, as manifested in China and contrasts it with the philosophies of Confucianism and Legalism. The paper shows ways in which they complement one another or borrow from one another and the ways in which they serve the broader social needs of government in maintaining the social order, including making recommendations for the type of government China should have.

From the Paper:

"China has long been a country with competing philosophical systems coexisting, sometimes borrowing from one another, and for the most part serving the broader social needs of government and maintaining the social order. In China, three of the major philosophical strains were Daiosm (also called Taoism), Confucianism, and Legalism, the latter influential more on government through the ideas of Han Fei (DeBary, Chan, and Watson 122-123). Taoism is a Chinese doctrine that made up for the lack of attention given to religion by Confucius. Perfection is achieved by the mystic who is able to see the greater truth. Perfection means the loss of self in the trace state that allows conjunction between the individual and the universal. The one to which this perfection aspires is Tao, or the total spontaneity of all things."

More papers on Daoism :

• Essay # 88559 : "Daoism and Politics"
• Essay # 137442 : "Self and Socialisation in Daoism & Zen Buddhism."
• Analytical Essay # 135261 : "Daoism's Criticism of Confucianism"

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