Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism

Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism are the three pillars of Chinese philosophers that influenced all actions in China. Confucianism is a religion that has been followed by the Chinese for more than a thousand years.It is characterized more as a system of ethical philosopher than a religion. Confucianism is focused on human relations. It tells us that “man was by nature a human being” (colombia.edu). The primary social unit was family. Family was a fundamental aspect to others. The virtue of filial piety was the foundation for all people. The government was responsible to transform and educate the people. This was accomplished by moral example and not legal regulations. Legalism is a totally different belief system. Legalism stresses the importance of emphasizing strict consent with the law. As for education,  one should only follow government officials teachings and laws. Taoism is very similar to Confucianism. The central value of Taoism is being in harmony with nature. Taoists felt that Confucianism focused too much on human nature. They preferred to understand the term “Dao” as a moral way. However Taoists viewed “Dao” as the way of Nature as a whole.