For this essay, you are asked to compare Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist ideas about how people should be governed. To do so, review what happened in China during the long Zhou Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty (Chapter 3, pp. 122-134; Khan Academy, The Philosophers of the Warring States). As the book explains, during the later Zhou Dynasty (the Warring States Period), China fell into disarray as several states warred with one another for the right to rule the land. It was in this context that individuals engaged in philosophical reflection on what was needful to restore order and a good society. These individuals were later categorized as belonging to different schools of thought. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism were three of the most important.
For this essay, review that historical background and then read selections on governing from Confuciuss Analects, the Laozi (Old Master, also known as the Dao de jing), and the Han Feizi (Master Han Fei). These are, respectively, Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist texts, and the selections introduce the author or the person to whom the writing is rightly or wrongly attributed.
To write this essay, introduce the historical setting (time, place, events), these three texts and their authors (or putative authors), and the topic of the paper. The topic for this paper is Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist ideas about how people should be governed, and their similarities or differences. Explain these ideas based strictly on these three primary sources (be sure to read the entire selection). This highlighted point is important. Go to these ancient sources for yourself, and develop your insights based on them, and explain your reasoning based on them. That means quoting or paraphrasing them as necessary to explain your thinking. Then conclude.
Writing Guidelines:
Your completed assignment should be roughly 1000 words.
You must write in complete sentences and paragraphs. Bullet points or lists will not be accepted.
Please cite your sources internally using parenthetical citations or footnotes, and include a complete bibliography at the end of your paper.
Introducing materials from other sources risks plagiarism and should be avoided.
Use simplified internal citations just for this exam, ie (Berger, World History, 53) (Laozi, 1) (Analects, 1:5) (Khan Academcy).
