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Chinese philosophy, including Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism, has been held by millions for thousands of years. It emphasizes spirituality, established order, and human virtues. It has influenced Western thinkers, writers, and artists and has even appeared in popular Western media.
Chinese philosophy includes ideas about existence held by millions of people from China and other nations, some for thousands of years. The systems of Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism are among the primary schools of Chinese philosophy. Writers and thinkers such as Lao Tse, Sun Tzu and Confucius himself have contributed to the culture of China and the world at large. Chinese ideas include a preference for established order and a spirituality that is not easily put into words. These concepts have been a source of fascination and study for Western philosophers for centuries.
The origins of Chinese philosophy date back to the 6th century BC when Lao Tse and then Confucius established their traditions. A century later, Private Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, a philosophy of armed combat that is still in use today. In the 1st century AD, Indian missionaries brought their Buddhist faith to China, where it evolved into the path of Zen Buddhism. These and other Chinese approaches have gained credibility in Western society, where they have influenced many thinkers, writers and artists. In recent years, China as a nation has embraced the ideals and philosophy of communism.
Taoism is the Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Lao Tse. Philosophy teaches that life is to be lived rather than observed objectively and that objectivity in itself is neither possible nor desirable. Instead, people should try to live in harmony with the world around them through a variety of spiritual and mental practices and activities. This philosophy matched well with Buddhism, which warns against material desires. Zen Buddhism, the quintessentially Chinese version of Buddhism, recommends meditation and abstract mental states to attain enlightenment, a kind of wordless wisdom.
In contrast, the teachings of K’ung Fu’tzu, also known as Confucius, hold that there are attainable human virtues. Both individuals and human society as a whole can be improved if people work towards these virtues, which can be broken down into a rigidly structured system. Ritual behavior, politeness, and deference to authority all have their place within this system. This Chinese philosophy and its subsequent offshoots have influenced Chinese and Asian thought in general throughout history up to the present day. Some have argued that the philosophy dovetails with the rigid communist state structures or that Confucianism nonetheless remains a dominant philosophy in modern China.
Western society has historically alternated between suspicion of Asian peoples and cultures and fascination with Chinese philosophy and lifestyles. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese, Asian, and Indian philosophy influenced Western historical figures such as Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon. Chinese beliefs have appeared in such popular Western mass media as the Kung Fu television series and The Karate Kid film series.
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