Taoism vs Confucianism
Taoism and Confucianism are two major theories or rather philosophical systems which emerged in China, and later influenced many countries of East Asia. While, Confucianism is the ideology put forth by the Chinese thinker, Confucius, Taoism refers to a number of philosophical and traditional concepts. Read on to learn more about these two significant ideologies.
Taoism and its Tenets
Taoism is a stream of thought which revolves around different but interconnected religious and philosophical traditions and concepts. Lao Tse is believed to be the founder of Taoism according to a number of historians. Tao' - the word in simple terms means a path or a way. This thought process mainly concentrates on nature, men-cosmos correspondence, health, longevity, wu wei (action through inaction), liberty, immortality and spontaneity. Taoist ethics underline compassion, moderation and humility, which are considered to be its three jewels. Taoism has been divided into philosophical, religious and folk Taoism, by Livia Kohn, an expert on Religion and East Asian studies. Philosophical Taoism is a school of thought which has its premise in the classical text Dao de Jing. Folk Taoism, on the other hand, is more people-oriented. It is the Chinese folk religion. Religious Taoism pertains to the Celestial masters movement during the reign of Han Dynasty.
Principles of Taoism
There are four principles of Taoism - Tao, De (te), Wu wei and Pu.
Tao: In English, Tao means road, pathway, channel or doctrine. There are different opinions on Tao given by various experts. But it is mainly believed to be undefinable. It is also thought to be the source of existence and non-existence.
De (Te): It is an active expression of Tao. It is related to a complicated concept of 'De'- power, virtue and integrity. De is the nurturing of the 'Tao'- or the path. De is inculcating the habit or imbibing the 'Tao'.
Wu Wei: Wu wei literally means without action. It is the central concept in Taoism. Taoism does not consider man's will to be the basic problem. In fact, it emphasizes that a human being's will must be in harmony with the universe.
Pu: Pu relates to simplicity and is symbolic of the state of Wu Wei. It epitomizes the state of pure perception sans prejudice. It is supposed to be an inactive stage of receptiveness.
Confucianism
Confucianism evolved and spread around the same time as Taoism. However, Confucianism has developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The fundamental premise of Confucianism is the importance of education for the moral development of the individual. If an individual develops morals, the state would not have to use its coercive powers to regulate the life of the people. The people themselves will refrain from doing something wrong. Like Taoism, Confucianism also had a huge impact on East Asian countries. Confucianism is a complicated system of social, moral, quasi-religious, political and philosophical thought. There are 7 themes of the Confucian thought which form the base of Confucianism. They are Ritual, Relationships, Filial Piety, Loyalty, Humanity, The Gentleman and Rectification of Names.
Ritual: In Confucianism, the everyday chores or activities are considered as ritual. The rituals should be molded in such a way that they promote and lead to a healthy society. Development of a healthy society through ritual is one of the main objectives of Confucianism.
Relationships: Confucianism believes that an individual's duties arise in relation to one another. Social harmony is attained when everyone performs his or her duty well, in accordance with his or her social order. Social harmony is a major goal of Confucianism.
Filial Piety: Filial piety refers to the respect and rituals to be followed for your ancestors, elders and the dead.
Loyalty: It simply means performing your duties towards your friends, family,and spouse. It is considered to be one of the greatest human virtues in Confucianism.
Humanity: Confucianism holds that all men are born similar, it is the practice and study which influences a man's nature. Humanity in Confucianism propose that filial piety and ritual is the basic way to act towards others.
The Gentleman: According to Confucianism men should strive to become the ideal man or the perfect man by inculcating moral values, act with filial piety and loyalty where necessary, and nurture humanity and kindness in themselves.
Rectification of Names: Social disorder according to Confucianism was believed to have emanated from the failure of understanding and perceiving reality. Calling names incorrectly invariably is the lack of perceiving the reality. Correct perception of reality would avoid social disorder.
Confucianism still has a lot of significance in some East Asian countries. It is to such an extent that the governments in a few of those countries have pondered over making Confucianism a state religion.
Although, there are few similarities between the two ideologies, they are clearly distinguishable as well. While, Taoism is more on the spiritual or abstract plane, Confucianism seems to be more practical and concrete for an individual to understand and practice. Both the ideologies are unique in their own way even if they were contemporary.
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