Taoism And Confucianism Similarities

Taoism and Confucianism are two of the most famous philosophies that originated in China around 500 B.C.E. Lao-Tzu, translated as “the old master”, was known for having founded the philosophy of Taoism as well as being the author of the Tao Te Ching. The main concept of Taoism is the “Tao”, otherwise known as the “the way”, which pertains to the way of the universe as well as the way of humans. At the center of Confucianism was Confucius, a teacher whose teachings were recorded and compiled into several Chinese texts by his students. The goal of Confucianism was social harmony through the individual by maintaining the five great virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, filial piety, and wisdom. Although both philosophies share superficial similarities, they vary significantly in their views on death. …show more content…
Confucius was known to be an innovator, not only because he taught students of all social backgrounds, but because he went against superstition. He paid no mind to the superstitious, a widely held idea at the time, and refrained from discussing topics such as death and the afterlife. When asked about death, Confucius responded with “You do not understand even life, how can you understand death?”(Koller 415). Clearly, the importance was placed not on death, but on life. Confucianism stresses the importance of life over death by encouraging people to focus on self-cultivation and living a morally correct life, instead of spending their time pondering about death. When Tzu-Kung asked Confucius which should be given up first, food or trust, Confucius said “Give up food. Death has always been with us since the beginning of time, but when there is no trust, the common people will have nothing to stand on” (Koller 416). Once again, Confucius undermines death by emphasizing the importance of trust. Evidently to Confucianism maintaining the five great virtues while alive far outweigh the gravity of