Confucius and the Hundred Schools of Thought

What happened

During the turmoil of the late Zhou, the philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE) taught that social harmony rested on personal virtue, ritual, and a ruler's moral responsibility to his people. His was one of the 'Hundred Schools of Thought' — alongside Daoism and Legalism — that debated how to order society in an age of warring states.

Why it matters

Adopted as state philosophy under the Han, Confucianism shaped Chinese government, education, and family life for two millennia and spread across East Asia.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Confucianism · Reputable source