Session 2 readings (dube, 3/3 afternoon)

[cgao]

The attached readings are to help you understand early Chinese philosophy and to prepare for a debate on Monday evening. Please bring the philosophy document with you, either digitally or in print form. You'll need to use it.

The filial piety cartoons are not required reading, but are a modern representation of classical teachings.

For the debate on Monday evening, you'll need to argue in support of "your" school of thought and against those of others. Here are some of the questions we'll look at:

1. What is the basic nature of human beings? 
2. Describe the organization and conduct of an ideal society. How is it organized? What are aims of the state and how do the people and the state interact? To whom do we owe loyalty?
3. What are the core components of education in that ideal society? How are people taught? What are they taught?
4. How can we move from the society we have to the ideal one? What is to be done? 

You can prepare by reading the philosophy teaching guide. As you read, try to answer the questions on pages 46-47 for each of the schools.

 

Attachments:

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[clay dube]

My presentation for this session is attached. You are welcome to use it with your students. Do not post it to the internet or otherwise share it.

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[Christine Xu]

The construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River has a number of positive and negative impacts for the Three Gorges area and even for the whole China.

Operated in 1993 and completed in 2009 Three Gorges Dam is designed to serve three main purposes/ advantages: flood control, hydroelectric power production, and navigation improvement. 

Although this project brought people a lot of great advantages, it also caused some serious problems which is existed indeed and can’t be omitted. 

Water pollution: Along with the river flowing, there is a large number of land experiencing erosion, which leads to tons of sands and pebbles into the Yangtze River and stay at the upstream and makes great water pollution about Yangtze River.

Migration problem: Chinese officials estimate that the reservoir will partially or completely flood 2 cities, 11 counties, 140 towns, 326 townships, and 1351 villages. It is bout 23800 hectares, and more than 1.1 million people will have to be resettled.

Environment problem: In order to build the dam the surrounding landscape has been changed largely, which has caused some problems related to climate deteriorated, plants, wildlife disappeared, and historical relics submerged, etc.

 

Sources: Yangtze River Cruises

 

[Christine Xu]

The Daoists: Lao Zi, the old master of Daoism. Tradition has it that he was born in 604 B.C.E and lived for nearly two centuries. He wroteTao Te Ching or the classic of the Way and of Virtue.

Daoism is a philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. Taoism differs from Confucianism by not emphasizing rigid rituals and social order. Taoist ethics in general tend to emphasize Wu Wei (effortless action),“ naturalness”, simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures:” compassion-Ci, “frugality-Jian”, and “humility”. 

 

Unlike Confucianism, Daoism looked to nature rather than human beings as the source of morality. According to Laozi, human society has to conform to the Dao ( The Way). Or the essential unifying element of all that is. Some interpret Dao as Nature. Others interpret Dao as Nature’s countervailing elements—ying and Yang, moon and sun, women and men, darkness and light, etc. - at work; complementing yet continuously changing, and interacting with each other at the same time. Despite the appearance of differences, all is one. 

Daoism’s impact on Chinese culture is pervasive in history, arts, literature, science, philosophy, folklores, politics, religion, and medicine.Within the intelligentsia class, throughout the past two thousand years, Daoist values and practices-such as retreating into the lifestyle of a hermit - have often been an “ escape route” for Confucian officials/ scholars who, for whatever reason, were no longer in a position of political influence. This co-existence of contrasting Confucian and Daoist values in the lifetime of a Confucian  schooler is good example of the fusion fo two very different philosophies, and point to the sometimes perplexing nature of “ duality” in Chinese culture. 

Daoism began to morph into a religion around 200 AD, with tens and rituals heavily influenced by Buddhist practices. As a religion, in pursuit of sternal life, Daoists in subsequent millennia contributed to Schinese medicine, science ( the invention of gun powder), and martial arts( Taiji, Wudang). As philosophy, many Chinese paintings reflect Daoist values through the prominent display of mountains, streams, and other Natural elements next o small and relatively insignificant human figures. 

 

Sources: Wiki/ The influence of Daoism, Buddism, and Legalism on Chinese Culture by Warren Liu

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I found this reading interesting.  I have always known that respect for the elderly, particulary parents, is important in Chinese culture, but did not realize how high morality is crucial to Chinese philosophy and government.  According to this reading, loyalty to family, especially the elderly is an important part of the culture and translates to political virtue.  The family hierarchy and structure mirrors the larger order in society and obedience and loyalty to your superiors is the key to order and peace in society.  According to Confucius, filial piety is the root of all virtue and the source of civilization. It is particulary illuminating to see how Chinese philosophy, politics and social order intersect.  The cartoon depictions of filial devotion would be a good teaching tool to teach students about this concept as they are engaging and easy to read. These could be used as an introduction to the concept.  

[Donna Jamshidnejad]

In my AP World History courses, I assign each students a philosophy (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Legalism) to read about in depth. I found an online activity years ago that I have modified into a fishbowl discussion. First, I ask students to interview a parent/guardian and provide them with scenarios such as:

You find $20 on the floor, what should you do?

I typically assign 10 questions. Students interview a parent, ask the questions, and decide which philosophy their parent can be categorized as, and why. This assignment usually sparks interest, and I also enjoy reading their responses. This is all in preparation of our “fishbowl” discussion.

For the fishbowl, I set up 5 desks in the center of the room. I label 4 desks, each with a name of the philosophies. The 5^th desk is designed for any student who would like to step in. One student per philosophy sits in the circle, and they discuss scenarios, respond to questions, and sometimes debate responses. Students represent their philosophy while in the circle. After each round, the students in the circle (or fishbowl) are rotated out.

Students LOVE this activity. We usually cover this content in September, and students are still jokingly responding to students and I by saying, “As a Daoist, I believe…” My response is usually, “as a legalist, I think…” (a joke, they know I’m not a Legalist).

[Percy Ortiz]

If I were a Daoist and saw my father break a law, what would I do? A good question. It got me thinking of the different possible answers that I could give and I came up with several. Who knows if my father was a Daoist or not? If he were not a Daoist then his actions would have reaffirmed my beliefs that rituals and laws simply make humans more cunning and lead them to breaking those laws. However the Daoist would accept this and take no action, though that does not seem right (in my own view). The question then becomes if this is a moral law or a government law. Nevertheless, following Lao Zi's train of thought where he states, "I take no action and the people are transformed by themselves," seems to be something that often comes up in the Dao De Jing, so I’ll stick to that.

Somehow this creates a scenario that might appear to be a bit what Chuang Zi describes several times in his book. The first being the opening scene to his book, where it states, "Once upon a time Zhuang Zi dreamed he was a butterfly......but when he suddenly woke up, he was the same as always." So, my question then becomes, is the son dreaming of the father breaking a law or is the father actually breaking a law. I would also argue using one of Chuang Zi's parables, where a man loves his horse so much, he bathes his horse, combs its hair and loves it so much that when he sees a fly land on its leg he immediately tries to swat it, but in the process manages to startle the horse, which then kicks its master and kills him. The Daoist, would have said to let things be and hopefully my father learns a lesson, though what lesson is there to learn when man has made laws. What would a Confucius do?

[Juan Liebana-Mena]

As a confucian, I'd feel quite emotionally torn after knowing my father broke a law. This action would definitely make be feel quite conflicted between the importance of family and the importance of respecting the order of things. The bias lies in the need to make the right things while still staying faithful to family and the past. As a confucian, I'd always assume the benevolence of human nature and will treat this as an opportunity to perfect this person. I would discuss and teach him about the importance of respecting the order that the past has taught us and see this as an opportunity to improve his personality and values. I'd say to him, "Listen. You're not a bad person. You're good by nature, it's just your circumstances or environment that made you make the wrong choice. However, this is a good lesson to learn and the opportunity to improve as a person." Then I would direct him to study the past and realize the ethical implications that laws have in our society. I'd work hard to him to realize the imporance of reciprocity and understand the negative effects breaking laws would have in a reciprocal society. 

[Laura Gonzales]

If my father broke the rules, as a legalist I would have no option but to turn him in. As a legalist it not about the family, but the state is above everyone and everyhing else. Everthing begins with order, it is made very clear that we have to follow rules and if we don't then we are given consequences to make sure we never break the rules again. To be honest I would be dissapointed by my fathers actions, since I know that he was well aware of the consequences. Therefore, it is not fair for my father to ask me or the family to keep a secret and not turn him in to public officials. 

To not turn him in would create chaos and disunity in our home and country. We have to be strong when we are faced with great chanllenges such as turning in a family member but we have to think about the greater picture, to not turn my father would mean that consequences would not be carried out, that would mean that I myself would have broken the rules and that would possibly mean that my children might learn from me and might not take consequences seriously. I could foresee this leading into a bigger cycle and soon that thought could infect others and we will never see the end of this. This would probably allow weaker schools of thought to be victorious over the Legalist way. 

[Laura Gonzales]

I really enjoyed the activity preformed in the session. The activity could be applied to any lesson that has conflicting views. I could definetly see how my students will benefit from reading and learning about different point of views and at the same time enjoy defending their position. 

On a side note, I went home and began listining to The art of war audio book, I sparked an interest when it was mentioned in class. It is a short audio but worth listening to it.  Even thought the book is about military tactics and warfare it made me think about my teaching style and how I have structured my classroom. I listened to the book on my way to work which made me feel empowered. I am going to go back and take a few pointer from the book.

 

[Percy Ortiz]

I have found that reading The Art of War and listening to the audio book has been a valuable and practical tool in my teaching. One of the biggest lessons that I've gleaned from the book is that, a warrior has already won before having gone to battle, or something along those lines. This means that as a teacher has already won they have prepared and even before the students have stepped into the classroom. I also like how it uses examples on preparation and practicing even before anything has happened, and as a teacher this becomes evident in lesson preparation and the vision that you have. It also shows, that you have to be willing to adapt, and even when the odds might be stacked against you, potential class management situations or contentious students, there is a solution. One of my favorite quotes from the book is something along the lines as, "if you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your opponents will float by." Another line states, "treat your men as you would your beloved sons, and they will follow you into the deepest valley." It tells the teacher that if you are fair, consistent and connect with students, they will follow, at least the majority will. Yes, it definitively has a lot of practical uses.

[Karimah Tennyson-Marsh]

This sounds like such a fun and engaging lesson. Thanks for sharing. 

[Karimah Tennyson-Marsh]

I truly enjoyed our philosophical debate on Monday evening as it really had me focus and think deeply about a particular school of thought (Confucian theory) while interacting with the other schools of thought by thinking of ways to respond to their beliefs. I often found myself sometimes agreeing with another school of thought and had to then review Confucian thoughts to keep myself focused on representing Confucian beliefs. The debate was engaging and really brought the 4 schools of thought to life. 

I would like to recreate this with my students, however I would probably give them more time to prepare their arguments (actually have them write them according to standards) and then have them present their arguments. I would also encourage them to create questions for the other schools of thought so there were be more interaction between the students and I would just be the observer to make sure students stay on task. Since I teach 8th grade, I’d need to have a lot more structure to the debate, but I feel like my students would really get into pretending they are scholars from a particular school of thought and have to defend their ideals. This is definintely an activity I could potentially teach next year. 

[Alexandra Becker]

I am really enjoying listening to each lecture because I get to learn more details about a time period I just taught about in class. One such detail that I was excited to see was about the oracle bones. Again, I do not have much backgroundin East Asian studies and had not heard about these oracle bones until a couple of my students had presented them. At the time, I had a ssigned a flipped classroom assignment where my students would be required to research a section of cultural influence on Japan (mostly coming from China, India, or Korea) and have to teach the class about their findings. In a couple of the presentations about the development of Japanese writing and characters, they had mentioned that the earliest form of Chinese characters (which heavily influenced Japanese writing) came from Oracle bones on turtle shells. I was elated to learn more about the origins of these oracle bones during lecture and how scapulas of Oxen were even used. I did not know that a trained person with the most impressive ancestors should only be allowed to ask the questions and interpret the results. I also  found it interesting that someone should come to the ritual with a specific question to be asked. I think the peculiarities of this ritual represent a unique part of chinese uclture, and the fact that it ended up developing into writing, created a lasting impact not only in their society, but as well as Japans! By incorporating this fun tidbit into my lessons, my students will not only be entertained (and listen more intently), but I will also be able to creatively explain how this "interpretation of the future" allowed the Shang dynasty (I believe) legitimized themself.

[Lin Kuang]

Interestingly to study the four major Chinese philosophers and their theories. As a Chinese growing with the huge impact of the Confucian concepts, I undertaood much better now the ways I was raised up in a very traditional family with all four philosophical concepts mixture intertwined in our minds and guiding our behafiors in our family and society. As conficious indicated that family is always the fisrt priority for each individual chinese no matter how. WE should be united together as a family under any circumstance and support and respect each other, especially the elders and taking care of the younger ones, which maintain the family integrity. Then, we see our parents sacifice themselve to create opportunities for their children to live better and educated, when they get older their children will take care of them till the end of the lives., which maintained the social order for a safe and harmonic aommunity to live in. "Relationship between people are made correct through education and attention to following  rules of decorous behavior" simple told us that we should maintain balanced relation with each other so that we can easily communicate with people as we expected. Relationship is made so big in CHinese daily life and buisiness that we have to maintain through our educationa dn rituals from generationa to generations. Inorder to keep good or close relationship with others, we have to visit each other. There're rules for us to show our kindness and hospitality to always to exchanges gifts with each other when ever we make visits. " The price of the gifts does not matter, but the thoughts and hospitality matter the most", so when you invite Chinese to your party, they will never show up with their empty hands. THey will always presnet with approriate gifts accordingly to show their kindness and caring to the people they visit. Relationship is such a big deal that we cosider it " Relationship " and " Intelligence" are the most important factors for a successful man or woman. Estalishing relations is the foundermental way to do bisuness successful.

" The ideal rulers governs by providing a shinning example of refined benevolence" indicated that the rulers have to lover and take theor people into considerations. We undertood that the water can carry the boat, and it can turn it over it. It metophorically illustrated our learders of our states have to be kind and supportive to their people, lisitening to the voices of the people, or they will eventually rebel and turn the states over.

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