Days 1-2: Ideas of individual thinkers (Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi)
Day 3: How those ideas became institutions that shaped civilizations
4th–3rd c. BCE — Mencius and Xunzi debate human nature
2nd c. BCE — Confucianism becomes Han state ideology
2nd c. CE — Religious Daoism emerges as organized tradition
7th–10th c. — Buddhism challenges both; traditions respond
11th–12th c. — Neo-Confucianism synthesizes traditions
Throughout — Spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam
The Confucian Debate on Human Nature
After Confucius: The Big Question
Confucius taught virtue, but he was vague on a crucial question:
Are humans naturally good, or do we need to be made good?
Two of his intellectual heirs gave opposite answers:
Mencius (372–289 BCE): Human nature is good
Xunzi (310–235 BCE): Human nature is bad
Mencius: Human Nature Is Good
The Optimist
Mencius (Mengzi 孟子) argued:
Humans are born with innate moral tendencies
These are "sprouts" (duan 端) that need cultivation
Evil comes from neglecting or corrupting our nature
Everyone can become a sage — it's a matter of nurture
📸 Image needed: "Mencius Chinese philosopher portrait traditional"
Suggested caption: Mencius (372–289 BCE), whose optimistic view of human nature became Confucian orthodoxy
Mencius: The Four Sprouts
The Four Sprouts
Innate Moral Beginnings
Sprout (Innate Feeling):
Compassion (seeing suffering)
Shame (at wrongdoing)
Deference (yielding to others)
Approval/Disapproval
Mature Virtue:
Ren (Benevolence)
Yi (Righteousness)
Li (Ritual Propriety)
Zhi (Wisdom)
The metaphor: These are like seeds. A seed contains the oak tree potentially, but it needs soil, water, sun.
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Sprout Metaphor
Mencius's genius was this agricultural image. You don't create goodness in people — you cultivate what's already there. Bad education is like bad farming: it stunts natural growth.
Why this metaphor matters →
The Child and the Well
Mencius's Thought Experiment
"Suppose someone suddenly saw a child about to fall into a well. Anyone would feel alarm and compassion — not to gain favor with the child's parents, not to win praise from neighbors and friends, not because they would dislike the cry of the child."
— Mencius 2A:6
The argument: Everyone would feel distress → This feeling is spontaneous → Therefore, compassion is innate → Therefore, human nature has moral content
Human Nature Reflection
Quick Write (3 minutes):
Do you agree with Mencius that humans are naturally inclined toward compassion?
Can you think of counterexamples — cases where people DON'T feel compassion for a child in danger?
What would those counterexamples prove?
Xunzi: Human Nature Is Bad
The Realist
Xunzi (Xunzi 荀子) disagreed sharply:
Human nature is selfish and chaotic
Left alone, humans pursue desires without limit
Goodness is artificial — created by sages, taught through ritual
Virtue is achievement, not expression of nature
"Human nature is bad; goodness is the result of conscious activity."
— Xunzi, Chapter 23
Xunzi's Argument
Why Ritual Matters Even More
Mencius:
Nature is good
Education draws out goodness
Sprouts → Virtues
Farmer cultivating plants
Xunzi:
Nature is bad
Education imposes order
Raw material → Shaped product
Potter shaping clay
Xunzi's key point: If humans were naturally good, why would we need sages, rituals, and laws?
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Craft Metaphor
Xunzi compared moral education to craftsmanship. Wood doesn't naturally become a wheel — a craftsman imposes form on it. Similarly, ritual and education impose moral form on raw human nature.
The craft metaphor →
Who Won?
Mencius Becomes Orthodox
Historically, Mencius's view became standard Confucianism.
Why?
More optimistic — people can improve
Fits better with self-cultivation emphasis
Neo-Confucians (later) championed Mencius
Xunzi's students became Legalists — guilt by association
⚠️ Historical Note:
Xunzi's two most famous students, Han Feizi and Li Si, helped create China's first totalitarian state (Qin dynasty). This tainted Xunzi's reputation for centuries.
Confucianism Becomes State Ideology
The Han Synthesis
Confucianism Goes Official
Dong Zhongshu (179–104 BCE) convinced Emperor Wu to:
Revolutionary idea: Government jobs based on what you know, not who your father was.
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Keju (科举)
The examination system ran, with interruptions, from 605 CE to 1905 CE — 1,300 years. At its height, millions competed for a few thousand positions. It shaped Chinese education, family life, and social structure.
How long did it last? →
Effects of the Exam System
Confucianism Shapes Society
Positive Effects:
Social mobility (in theory)
Unified educated elite
Spread of literacy
Prestige for learning
Negative Effects:
Extreme pressure on students
Rote memorization valued
Women completely excluded
Conservative — resisted new ideas
Key point: For 1,300 years, ambitious Chinese families invested everything in Confucian education.
System Analysis
Pair Discussion (3 minutes):
What are the advantages of selecting officials by examination rather than by birth or election?
What problems might arise from testing only knowledge of ancient classics?
Can you think of modern parallels to the imperial examination system?
Neo-Confucianism
The Buddhist Challenge
A Crisis for Confucianism
From 1st century CE, Buddhism spread through China:
Provided answers about death, afterlife, suffering
Monasteries attracted talented people away from public service
Seemed to offer deeper spiritual practice
Confucian response: We need to develop our OWN metaphysics and spiritual depth.
Neo-Confucianism Emerges
Confucianism 2.0
Neo-Confucianism (Song dynasty, 960–1279 CE):
Response to Buddhism's challenge
Developed Confucian metaphysics and cosmology
Borrowed Buddhist and Daoist concepts — reframed as Confucian
Established the "Four Books" as canonical
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Four Books
Neo-Confucians established this new canon: Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean. These replaced the older "Five Classics" as the core curriculum, emphasizing moral cultivation over ritual and history.
What are the Four Books? →
Neo-Confucian Pioneers
Before Zhu Xi
Neo-Confucianism developed through several thinkers:
Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073) — Cosmological diagram of the Supreme Ultimate
Cheng Hao (1032–1085) — Emphasized moral intuition and unity with all things
Cheng Yi (1033–1107) — Developed Li (principle) as key concept
The Cheng brothers were especially influential — Zhu Xi saw himself as continuing their work.
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The Cheng Brothers
Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi studied together but developed different emphases. Cheng Hao stressed intuitive moral knowledge and feeling "one body" with heaven and earth. Cheng Yi emphasized careful study and investigation of principles (Li) in things. Later Neo-Confucianism split along these lines: Zhu Xi followed Cheng Yi; Wang Yangming followed Cheng Hao.
Zhu Xi (1130–1200)
The Great Synthesizer
Zhu Xi built on the Cheng brothers to create the standard Neo-Confucian system:
Li (理) — principle/pattern underlying all things (NOT ritual 禮)
Qi (氣) — material force that constitutes things
Everything has both Li (what it should be) and Qi (what it is)
Moral cultivation = aligning your Qi with your Li
📸 Image needed: "Zhu Xi portrait Chinese philosopher Neo-Confucianism"
Suggested caption: Zhu Xi (1130–1200), whose synthesis became orthodoxy for 700 years
Neo-Confucian Practice
"Investigating Things"
Zhu Xi emphasized gewu (格物) — "investigating things":
Study the world to understand its principles
Knowledge and moral cultivation are connected
Read classics, but also observe nature and society
Gradual accumulation of understanding
"The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things."
— Great Learning
Later debate: Wang Yangming (1472–1529) disagreed — said look inward, not outward.
Religious Daoism
Daoism Becomes Organized Religion
Beyond Philosophy
Remember: the "philosophy vs. religion" divide is a Western import. But there IS a historical development:
4th–3rd c. BCE — Daodejing, Zhuangzi texts compiled
2nd c. CE — First Daoist religious movements emerge
4th–6th c. — Daoist canon, priesthood, monasteries develop
7th c. onward — Imperial patronage, temple networks
The Way of the Celestial Masters
First Organized Daoist Movement
Tianshi Dao (Way of the Celestial Masters), founded 142 CE:
Zhang Daoling claimed revelation from deified Laozi
Organized communities with priests, rituals, hierarchy
Healing, confession of sins, moral codes
Still exists today — oldest continuous Daoist lineage
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Celestial Masters
This movement established the template for religious Daoism: hereditary priesthood, community rituals, talismans, and a pantheon of deities. Zhang Daoling's descendants led the movement for centuries.
What template did they establish? →
Religious Daoist Practice
What Daoists DO
Individual Practices:
Meditation
Qigong (energy cultivation)
Internal alchemy
Dietary regimens
Communal Practices:
Temple rituals
Festivals
Offerings to deities
Funeral rites
Goals: Longevity, immortality, harmony with Dao, spiritual power, healing
Internal alchemy uses the body as a laboratory. Practitioners visualize energy moving through the body, refining it progressively toward spiritual transcendence. It's a sophisticated meditation system with its own physiology and cosmology.
How does internal alchemy work? →
Comparative Development
Quick Analysis (3 minutes):
How did Confucianism and Daoism each respond to Buddhism's arrival in China?
Consider:
What did Buddhism offer that they lacked?
How did each tradition adapt?
What did they borrow or reject?
Spread Across East Asia
Beyond China
The East Asian Confucian-Daoist World
Both traditions spread to:
Korea — Adopted Confucianism as state ideology; Daoist folk influences
Japan — Neo-Confucianism shaped samurai ethics; Daoism influenced aesthetics
Vietnam — Confucian examination system adopted; syncretic practices
📸 Image needed: "East Asia map China Korea Japan Vietnam Confucianism spread"
Suggested caption: The East Asian cultural sphere shaped by Chinese traditions — Korea, Japan, Vietnam all adopted Confucian and Daoist elements
Korea: The Most Confucian Society?
Deep Adoption
The Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) made Neo-Confucianism state ideology:
Zhu Xi's teachings became orthodoxy
Examination system modeled on China
Confucian ancestral rites mandatory
Some scholars argue Korea became "more Confucian than China"
Today: Confucian values still visible in Korean family structure, education emphasis, respect for elders.
Daoism: Never became organized religion, but influenced Zen aesthetics, tea ceremony, concepts of naturalness
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Bushido
The samurai code blended Neo-Confucian loyalty and self-cultivation with Zen Buddhist discipline and native Japanese warrior traditions. It's a distinctly Japanese synthesis, not pure Confucianism.
What is Bushido? →
Three Teachings, One Culture
The Chinese Synthesis
In China itself, the "three teachings" (sanjiao) coexisted:
Confucianism — Public life, ethics, governance
Daoism — Health, longevity, nature, folk religion
Buddhism — Death, afterlife, monastic practice
"The three teachings flow into one."
— Traditional saying
Most Chinese didn't choose one. They used different traditions for different life situations.
Day 3 Summary
Confucian Developments:
Mencius vs. Xunzi (Mencius won)
Han institutionalization
Examination system — 1,300 years
Neo-Confucianism — response to Buddhism
Daoist Developments:
Organized religious movements
Priesthood, rituals, temples
Alchemy (external → internal)
Pantheon of deities
Spread: Korea, Japan, Vietnam adapted both traditions. "Three teachings" coexisted in China.
Development Mapping
Exit Ticket:
Choose ONE development we covered today (e.g., imperial exams, Neo-Confucianism, religious Daoism, spread to Korea).
In 3-4 sentences, explain:
What changed from the original tradition?
Why did this change happen?
What effect did it have?
Preview: Day 4
Synthesis and Contemporary Applications
Tomorrow (or asynchronously):
How do these traditions matter TODAY?
Modern applications in business, medicine, environment
Western reception and appropriation
Personal application: What can YOU use?
📸 Image needed: "modern East Asia business tai chi meditation acupuncture"
Suggested caption: Ancient traditions, modern applications — Confucian and Daoist ideas continue to shape contemporary life