Discussion Questions 4

Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.) and Laozi are some of the most renowned Chinese philosophers of all times. Laozi is considered by many scholars as a contemporary of Confucius. Indeed, the philosophies of the two scholars share a lot in common one of them being that they are critical of the world they live in because of disorder, which they attribute to deviation from the “way” of the golden period. Also, both their philosophies see the state of “nonaction” as the perfect spiritual state of man as characterized by harmony between his inclinations and those of the “way”. However, despite these similarities, Confucius and Laozi significantly differ in the sense that while the former advocates for

As Shimomura(1982) points out, Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking and the Taoism, which was put forward by the ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu, share a great deal of similarity, in that both of them view human beings from a detached and holistic standpoint. It is not clearly known how Steinbeck, who is certainly a product of his time and his American milieu, came to be acquainted with and interested in Lao Tzu's philosophy, but in Journal of A Novel, he appreciates Lao Tzu so highly that he places Lao Tzu beside Plato, Buddha, Christ, Paul, and the Great Hebrew prophets. It might safely be said that there must have been a seedbed in his indigenous thought where a seed of Lao Tzu was sown, germinated, and

The Tao Te Ching is a 81 chapter book written by Lao Tzu. It’s wisdom is entirely immortal and focuses mostly on the theology of Taoism and explaining how Tao is part of our lives and how we as people can become part of the Tao. In the 81st chapter of the book, Lao Tzu describes to us a village of people and how they live their lives. In my analysis of this chapter I have come to agree with Lao Tzu in that this is the way that enlightened people live their lives and that living any other way than this will only lead to conflict

Individuals refusing to give up firearms argue they need them for protection from the increased level of crime. Tao Te Ching posits that weapons are the apparatuses of chaos and all decent people dislike them. Weaponries are used to cause fear and decent individuals will stay away from them apart from when they need them or if compelled and even then, they will use them with restraint (Lao-tzu 31). Peace has the outmost value and if it has been crushed, it cannot be content. It is agreeable that weapons are tools of violence and are used to cause

1.The Fire scenes are different than the regular crime scenes because the evidence from fire scene was probably destroyed or burned to ashes, and the individual who did the crime is not normally present a crime scene, which made it difficult to piece together the suspect , and convict someone of their crimes.

Complied during the Warring States Period, the Daodejing is widely known as one of China’s famous philosophy literature. This text reflects the general lament of a civilization that has been worn down from war and seeks to find peace by teaching people how to live by “the Way”. From a war-torn perspective, the Daodejing deems war and government corruption as evil and traces them back to greedy and power-hungry motives. As a successor to Confucius, it still carries some of his ethics. Because of its mystical overtones, it has acquired a large variety of interpretations. Its main teaching is if a person does nothing, then peace will be restored; it is the concept of non-action or 无为。When a person does not try to interfere and allows things to

The laws of war in general must be studied to understand the nature of how and why wars are fought. According to Mao, China was already involved in a war both against itself and other nations and if they wanted to win the war then they would need to study war in general. There are some common elements that occur in all wars, but in order to be successful, an understanding of those elements and how they operate are necessary. Mao states that “War is the highest form of struggle for settling contradictions between classes at given staged of

To begin, leaders must study the laws of war to understand the nature of how and why wars are fought. According to Mao, China’s involvement with war both against itself and other nations was crucial, and if they wanted to win the war then they would need to study war in general. There are some common elements that occur in all wars, but in order to be successful during military conflict, an understanding of those elements and how they operate are necessary. Mao states that “War is the highest form of struggle for settling contradictions between classes at given stages of their development”. However, if leaders fail to understand the

Insurgency in the Revolution and Vietnam Evaluating the strategy used by both the British and the United Stated during the Vietnam War, one can pin the underlying failure for both superior countries on the fact that neither fully understood the true nature of the conflict at hand. This led to unclear political objectives and an ensuing military strategy that relied upon limited use of force to quell each rebellion respectively. To paraphrase LtCol Daly, “military force” should only be advocated for “when the political situation” supports a “decisive military campaign.” This paper will discuss a few examples to compare and contrast the insurgency and counter-insurgency efforts in both conflicts using Mao Tse-tung’s three phases of insurgency. Both the British and the United States were considered the “superpower”, stronger in all facets of national power during each war as compared to the adversary.

A ruler, in China, is the most honored person in the Chinese society, but the ruler has an obligation to be a moral and upright individual. The Tao addresses these individuals on page

As much any citizen in any country feels of the stability and the power of applying the law in daily life activity, as he will be more loyal and work hard for the advance of his country. Lao Tzu tried by his advises to the leader to prove the meaning of stability and security in the community, where he was living. He was asking the leader to be more loved more than to be feared. So, every member of the community will feel that, he is loyal to his leader and he is a part of this nation. Other nations, their leaders are looking for forming the image of the strict leader to be feared and then everybody will follow the law and be under the obligation, otherwise he will find himself against the nation leader who represent the community,

There is not much to know for sure about the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. According to the legend, Lao Tzu wrote down his wisdom from the advise of the border official that later became sacred text known as Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu then became the figure of Taoism that is over two thousand years old and is still relevant today. Lao Tzu philosophy looks into the hostility in the world and see the hidden harmony by using Tao that translates to “the way.”

At first glance, happiness is a state of mind that many, if not all people aspire to achieve in their lifetime. What exactly is that state of mind is up for debate among the east and the west, and varies between different cultures, traditions, and religions. In the west, happiness is mostly associated with success, wealth, fame and power. In the east, happiness can be viewed as freedom from mundane occurrences such as the occupation of western powers from within a country, the end of war, poverty and famine, and liberation of the false self. In contemporary times, and with the arrival of eastern philosophy, religions, and traditions in the west, many are turning inwards and using a tool believed to have more power than an atomic bomb, the human mind. In China, India and various other Asian countries, the mind has long been a powerful tool used to liberate one from suffering, the cyclic cycle of life, as well as a means to reach enlightenment and immortality. However, the mind is only a tool, and not the way per se.

clearly stated. (Question.2) It can be determined Tzu’ view on leadership is that, “excellence can be

Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government, saying, "What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?" Confucius replied, "Sir, in carrying on your government, why should you use killing at all? Let your evinced desires be for what is good, and the people will be good. The relation between superiors and inferiors, is like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows across it." (Section III.12)