Compare and contrast Confucius and Zhuangzi Essay

Compare and contrast Confucius and Zhuangzi - Essay ExampleThe Confucian school of thought in the 5th coke B.C. laid the groundwork for the code and compression of the various strands of Chinese thought into a coherent and accessible whole. Confucius besides paved the way for the proper codification of the culture prevalent during his time. The Ethics taught by Confucius is considered by many as a kind of virtue ethics, where the behavior of people are procured by witnessing funding examples instead of just following rules that teach behavior.Confucius was born in 521 B.C. into an aristocratic family of a lower order of impoverished knights. He lived during the second half of the chuck dynasty (1027-256 B.C.) a period of constant civil strife, when feudalism had broken down, and there was a breakdown of government machinery and moral standards had become lax. Confucius was determined to remedy the place and believed that the only way of doing it, was to go back to the days of an tiquity and follow the principles and precepts set out by the wise men of the time. Armed with this determination and okay by the knowledge of the wise of yore, Confucius set up a school.Confucius philosophy was centered on humanism and he stressed upon the free will of individuals. Zhuangzhi, also known as Chuang Tzu, is another massive Chinese thinker whose writing has a more philosophical tone, albeit it also stresses on what Confucius taught. Both thinkers laid great emphasis on the idea of Dao and De. Dao is the monistic theory that is responsible for the spontaneity that is found in all phenomena, while De or the Inner Power is the manifestation of these phenomena. It is the inherent power in an individual that can be built by practice and lead to a better life.As humans carry in cultivating their inner selves, it creates a ripple effect, and soon the results of the enlightened human are felt by the social and political system. Thomas Berry says