The Impact Of The Caste System And Confucianism

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Register to read the introduction… Originally, Caste system classified into four levels: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shdras. Brahmans symbolized the highest status of priests. Kshatriyas was the status of warriors. Vaisyas expressed merchants and commoners. Shdras indicated peasants, and laborers (Jordan, 2014). The four levels of caste system first came out from the composition of the Rig Veda in around 1000 B.C.E. The system were developed by Aryas who expanded to India and reject the original structures of Vedic society. In order to keep themselves into the high status and be distinct themselves from other races, Aryas developed the caste system. Each level of the caste system symbolized each part of the human body that served a specific purpose and had a fixed place in the body as a whole. It metaphorized that each level’s humanities served a specific purpose in the society and had a fixed place in the social hierarchy. The social order, like the human body itself, was created by the gods so humans could not question or change the system of social hierarchy. As the time went, the caste system became more complex but made Indian society more stable and well-ordered. “The caste system provided a social structure in which everyone had an allotted place.” (Smith and Mieroop, 2012) There were clear rules of behavior that each level of humans had to follow. Humanities who broke the rules would be expulsed from the caste …show more content…
Dubs. “Confucius: His Life and Teaching.” Philosophy 26 (1951): App. 96. Online Database JSTOR.
Jonathan, D. Spence. “Confucius.” The Wilson Quarterly 17 (1993): App. 4. Online Database JSTOR.
Jordan, Theresa. “Empires: Ancient China.” History 120. Smith Center For Undergraduate Education, Pullman. 26 February. 2014. Lecture.
Jordan, Theresa. “Hinduism.” History 120. Smith Center For Undergraduate Education, Pullman. 19 February. 2014. Lecture.
Smith, Bonnie G., and Mieroop Marc Van De. "Peopling the World." Sources of Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World's Peoples. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 17-19. Print.
Wei-ming, Tu and Wachman, Alan. “Workshop on Confucian Humanism.” Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 43 (1990): App. 6. Online Database

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