HIS 105 Chapter 2

1. HIS 105Chapter 2 Four Great Revolutions in Thought and Religion

2. Changes in Thought and Religion 800-300 B.C.E. • Some things in common: • Occurred near river valley civilizations • Born out of crisis • These major changes don’t happen often • Had great influence on culture and culture helped to spread ideas • These changes have endured over time

3. During 8th century B.C.E., Zhou Dynasty disintegrated • Chaos followed • Invasions • Rising merchant class changing old order • Old etiquette and old rituals changing • A search for new principles began

4. 5th and 6th centuries B.C.E. gave Chinese society new thinkers: Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, and Laozi • Their teachings were important then and they are still important today

5. Confucius • Also known as Kung Fuzi • Born in 551 B.C.E. • Educated in writing, music, and rituals • Believed to be of lower nobility • His father died when Confucius was very young and his mother fell on hard times • Worked in accounting and teaching

6. He was opinionated and outspoken • Traveled from state to state with followers looking for a ruler who would put his ideas into practice • Most saw his ideas as impractical • His ideas or sayings are called his “Analects” • He believed in moderation, propriety, optimism, good sense, and wisdom

7. He was ethical and saw himself as a transmitter of tradition • He saw a proper order to society, relationships, and government • Confucius felt superior men were made, not born, and they should be the ones to govern • Others should show respect, obedience, and support to their superiors • Loyalty and obedience held society together

8. Felt that if everyone fulfilled his/her duties, then harmony would prevail • The well-being of society depends on the morality of its members • Confucianism was not adopted as the official philosophy of China until the second century B.C.E. during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E. – 9 C.E.)

9. Mencius (Meng Ko) (370 290 B.C.E.) • Believed that humans are inclined to be good • The role of education is to uncover and cultivate that innate goodness • Stressed that government needed the consent of the people to rule • Said people had the right to rise up and overthrow an oppressor or unjust government

10. Xunzi (300 – 237 B.C.E.) • Believed heaven was indifferent to whether China was ruled by a tyrant or a wise man • Believed human nature was bad or at least, desires and emotions, if unchecked, could lead to conflict • Emphasized education and etiquette as a restraint on behavior • Said strong, authoritarian government was needed to control humans

11. Laozi (Lao Tsu) • Had little use for government • Recommended a retreat from society as a way to solve suffering • Contemplation of nature can help humans find the Dao, the way, the mysterious • Recommended a return to simplicity; become a babe, an uncarved block • Learn to be without learning

12. Felt knowledge was bad because it created distinctions • Learn to be without desires beyond the simple needs of nature • The basis of the political philosophy of Daoism is “not doing” • This means something between “doing nothing” and “being but not acting”

13. Rule without action • The way never acts, yet nothing is left undone • Emphasis on withdrawal from the world, communion with nature, and meditation

14. Xia • Shang • Zhou • Qin ( 256-206 B.C.E.) (Shi Huangdi) • Han ( 206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.)

15. Qin • In 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.E., the Qin Dynasty grew more and more powerful, and Shi Huangdi, a warlord of the 3rd century B.C.E., united China under Qin rule

16. Shi Huangdi • Created a centralized state • Had grandiose public works projects • Experimented with bronze and ironworking • Improved tools and weapons • Freed peasants from bondage and allowed them to own land • Gained peasants’ loyalty

17. Peasants then joined the army to fight for Shi Huangdi • Followed the writings of the Legalists

18. Legalists • Founded by Shang Yang, a Qin ruler of the 4th century B.C.E. • Said power of China’s rulers was absolute • Wanted to find true peace for China • That required a unified country and a strong state • Favored conscription and saw war as a way to extend a country’s power

19. Believed human nature was selfish and punishments should be severe and impartial • That which weakens the state should be punished • Laws should contain incentives for loyalty, bravery, obedience, diligence, and frugality • Saw merchants as parasites

20. Liked farmers Legalism was the philosophy adopted by the Qin which finally destroyed the Zhou in 256 B.C.E. and unified China in 221 B.C.E.

21. Hinduism • Arose from Aryan society • Aryans had a social hierarchy that would evolve into the rigid Indian caste system • Brahmans, who educated princes and were advisors at court, also compiled and interpreted the Vedic texts • These Vedic texts provided the religion which shaped the lives of everyday people

22. In this new religion, Brahmans were at the top • There was a caste system with warriors, priests, and commoners • Later merchants, artisans, and peasants were added • The classes were called Varnas

23. Each varna was subdivided into occupational groups or caste • Holy men who did not labor were at the top • Those who worked hard and cleaned up the filth of society were at the bottom • Boundaries between castes were rigid • In each caste life was laid out

24. One’s caste and its accompanying duties became known as one’s Dharma • The idea of reincarnation determined one’s caste • A person’s life was full of merits and demerits, and these became known as one’s Karma

25. The idea of reincarnation kept people under control • Caste system stressed the importance of one’s obligations and loyalties

26. Buddhism • Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (566-486 B.C.E.) • Became known as the Buddha or the “enlightened one” • Stressed meditation • By meditating, he saw his past lives and learned how to stop the suffering of life

27. He then pledged to help others release themselves from it • The Buddha then spent the rest of his life teaching others the “middle path” between indulgence and asceticism

28. 4 Noble Truths • All life is full of suffering • The source of suffering is desire • If you get rid of desire, you will no longer suffer • The path to this is eightfold: right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration You will then achieve Nirvana

29. He emphasized compassion for all beings • He gained a large following • His followers became monks and spread his message • Buddhism provided an alternative to the religion of the Brahmans • Buddha retained the ideas of karma and reincarnation but rejected the Vedas

30. Mahavira and the Jain Tradition • Jains were an Indian religious community who sought to extricate themselves from the material world and the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth • They sought to eliminate evil thoughts and actions • They tried to have compassion for all sentient beings, hence vegetarianism

31. Hebrews • Had belief in one God – Monotheism • Their monotheistic faith later influenced Christianity and Islam • It is thought that Moses led the Hebrews to Palestine looking for a homeland as promised by Yahweh between 1900 and 1600 B.C.E.

32. They were encouraged to give up the worship of other gods and follow Yahweh and his laws • If they did, they would be protected • These Jews felt they were then God’s Chosen People

33. Beliefs: • One God • An overall divine plan • A divinely organized morality as spelled out in the Torah (the Christian Old Testament) Through this written book, Jews were able to hold onto their identity through all subsequent takeovers and dispersals

34. Greek Philosophy • Greeks asked questions about their lives and the universe without invoking God • This began an intellectual revolution using rational thinking to answer their questions • Their way of looking at humans and their world was encapsulated in their philosophies

35. Many rationally questioned their world: • Thales believed water was our primary substance • Anaximander believed humans originated in water and evolved into their present state • Heraclitus said all is in motion; nothing ever really exists • Parmenides & Zeno said reality is fixed; change is an illusion of the senses

36. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle • Three great Greek philosophers who were concerned with ethical, political, and religious issues • Socrates (470-399 B.C.E.) • Committed to searching for truth • Wanted moral self-enlightenment • “Know thyself” • Through discussion and questioning got others to defend their views

37. Had many followers and many detractors who didn’t like to have their views questioned • He was condemned to death in 399 B.C.E. for corrupting the morals of youth because he was skeptical of religion • Felt we should use self-examination to get to the truth • Had a chance to go into exile but chose death because it was Athenian law and drank hemlock

38. Plato (429-347 B.C.E.) • Student of Socrates • Like Socrates, believed in the polis and its laws • Prolific writer • Founded the Academy in 386 B.C.E. in Athens • Taught others through dialogue and discussion • Grew up during Peloponnesian War • Experienced democracy and imperialism

39. Felt humans were a pale image of what they could be • Felt justice consists of each person doing what he/she is best suited for • Taught Aristotle

40. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) • pupil of Plato • Founded Lyceum where students gathered, ordered, and analyzed all human knowledge • Stressed the importance of moderation in human behavior and promoted virtue • Said every object has some purpose in the universe • Was the tutor of Alexander the Great

41. Even though philosophers looked for truths of the universe, the rest of Greek citizens looked to their gods, who were styled after humans, for enlightenment; polytheism