Our debate is Saturday, Nov. 19 -- you'll need to prepare to stand up for your school of thought (Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, or Legalism) and to point out the shortcomings in the thinking of your opponents.
Through the primary source documents in the “Early Chinese History” curriculum guide, those contained in the Ebrey Chinese Civilization reader, and (if you are so inclined) in the EWP East Asia textbook, you’ll be able to gain a sense of the richness of these teachings and how they are intertwined, how their advocates sought to address the problems they identified and realize, in some cases, shared aims.
If we had more time to cover the schools and for the debate itself, I’d have an elaborate debate format, with each group making presentations on several themes, each would also have a hatchet-man/woman whose responsibility would be to attack the perceived flaws in others groups’ thinking. We don’t have enough time to prepare and coordinate in this way, so we have to take a more informal approach.
Encounter: A Hundred Schools of Thought Contend
In capitals throughout the region rulers are consulting their advisors. It is a time of crisis, governments are crippled by corruption and war/war preparation is never-ending. States join schemes against other states and powerful families plot with others to improve their own positions. Little concern is shown common people. The elite tends to see them as a resource to be managed and marshalled in struggle against one's enemies. Commoners can only resist by running away. And they are doing this in great numbers, fleeing greedy lords and officials and brutal armies.
What has led to this danger? Technology has advanced so much. Agriculture has never been so productive. Our cities are sites of terrific trade (aided by new means of exchange) and places of a great cultural flowering. There is dance, music, and scholarly investigation.
But at the same time, weapons have been made even more lethal. Armies are larger and the devastation of war is greater than ever. Small states are being devoured by the large. Or they engage in secret diplomacy and espionage to undermine their neighbors.
In the past, in the days of the sage kings, our ancestors did not have to endure such chaos. There was order. There was peace. There was prosperity. Where have we gone wrong?
At our next session, devotees of Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism will gather to reflect on the desperate situation that has emerged. They will engage in a debate over what should be done to overcome this crisis.
Focus Questions
Ideologies have to provide three essential elements:
1. A description of how we arrived at the present situation (a history?) – what’s the problem(s)?
2. A description (proscription) of what should be – how things ought to be.
3. A description of what should be done to move from 1 to 2 – an action plan.
Begin your debate preparation by thinking about how your school of thought addresses these needs.
In the debate, I’ll ask questions of each school and you may ask questions of each other. In general, accent the positive in your doctrine, but it may be occasionally helpful to draw contrasts with the way other schools deal with issues you consider critical.
We’ll definitely explore the following:
Education
Is education necessary? Define a "well-educated" person. What would such a person know and be able to do? Who should provide this training?
Loyalty
To which people/institutions should a person owe his/her loyalty? What is the nature and what are the limits (if any) of these obligations?
Society/Government
Describe the ideal society and government's role (if any) in that society. Be sure to address issues such as stratification, relations between people, and qualifications/responsibilities of leaders.
You may find the chart on pages 44-45 of the curriculum guide (or that neighborhood) useful as you prepare.
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), and I am going to be a legalist for the Nov. 19th meeting. 
