Philosophies Of Confucius During The Axial Age

The axial age, a period of about five hundred years from 800 to 300 BC, was an age when many different philosophies and ways of thinking emerged in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Some of the philosophies established during the axial age have endured the test of time and are ingrained in the cultures of today. One school of thought that emerged between 500 and 400 BC, at the tail end of the Zhou state, and is still prevalent in the Chinese culture of today is Confucianism. Although during his lifetime Confucius found minimal success convincing a ruler to put his teachings into practice, Confucianism is a philosophy that was later practiced by Emperors of the Han dynasty and has remained part of Chinese culture ever since. The main teachings of …show more content…
During and following the Spring and Autumn period (771-481 BC) of ancient China, there was much debate and conversation about “the Way,” or Dao, and “virtue.” Although there were many different schools of thought that all taught different philosophies, according to Ge Zaoguang, most of them stemmed from similar core beliefs relating to Dao. One core belief that unites many of the schools of thought, and is an underlying concept of Confucianism, is “the concept of [a] universal order embracing both Man and Heaven,” and an overall concept of inherent order. Confucius taught that to follow “the Way” means to practice and cultivate goodness in every aspect of life. According to Confucius, there is one main thread running through all of his teachings. One of his students, Master Zeng Shen, explains further that the “The doctrine of the Master