Taoism vs Buddhism vs Confucianism

Summary

東洋哲学の3人の巨人、老子、仏陀、孔子の教えを簡潔に要約します。老子は道教の基礎を築いた思想家で、自然と調和し、無為（wu-wei）を提唱しました。仏陀は欲求が苦しみの源であり、自己を否定し、瞑想と精神的な訓練によって幸福を達成することができると教えてくれました。孔子は社会的な秩序と平和を目指し、自然の階層構造を模索して、社会の各層が自分の位置を知り、社会の調和を保つ仕組みを提案しました。3人の哲学は、個人が社会に適応し、自然と調和するよう促進し、東洋の社会構造と個人の内面的な平和を形作る根幹的な原則を提供しています。

Takeaways

• 📜 东方哲学传统非常丰富和复杂，老子、佛陀和孔子这三位哲学家可以帮助我们理解东方的精神性。
• 🌾 老子（Lao Tsu 或 Laozi）是道家哲学的创始人，生活在公元前6世纪的中国，著有《道德经》（Dao de Jing），主张顺应自然而非抗拒自然。
• 🔄 道家哲学中的“无为”（wu-wei）概念，意为不抵抗或通过不行动来行动，强调与自然和谐共处。
• ☯️ 阴阳（ying and yang）是道家哲学中的一个核心理念，代表善与恶共存于每个人之内，与西方宗教观念形成对比。
• 🎨 道家哲学强调自然创造力和自发性，被视为艺术家的宗教，艺术家通过模仿自然的流动来创作。
• 🦋 庄子是道家哲学中另一位重要人物，其著作《庄子》中有许多幽默的故事和寓言，如著名的“庄周梦蝶”。
• 🧘 佛陀（Siddartha Gautama）教导我们，痛苦源于对快乐的渴望，通过冥想和精神修炼来消除自我，以达到涅槃状态。
• 🧐 佛教认为个体的自我或自我（ego）是虚幻的，是我们欲望、野心和目标的源泉，而我们的灵魂是真实、永恒和普遍的。
• 🏛 孔子关注的是社会实践和政治问题，寻求如何通过建立社会等级制度来实现和平与和谐共存。
• 👪 孔子认为家庭是社会秩序的基础，家庭中的层级结构对社会稳定至关重要。
• 👑 孔子强调责任和义务，认为处于权力地位的人有责任保护下属，而下属则应忠诚并遵从上级。
• 📚 儒家思想在现代公司治理中仍然有效，强调层级制度和命令链，以及在社会中每个人的角色和地位。

Q & A

ラオツーが提唱する道家の核心思想は何ですか？

ラオツーは、自然と調和し、自然の流れに従うことの重要性を強調しています。道家の核心思想は、無為（wu-wei）つまり抵抗しない、または目的的な行為を通じて無行為を行うというものです。

仏教ではなぜ私たちが苦しむとされていますか？

仏教では、私たちが苦しむ理由は、快楽に対する欲望があるからとされています。欲望が満たされるほど、より多くのものを求めることになり、満足感を得ることが困難となります。

孔子は社会的な平和共存についてどのように解決策を提案しましたか？

孔子は、自然の組織構造を模索し、特に動物王国における階層構造を参考にしました。社会の平和的な共存を実現するためには、階層構造や権威体系を確立することが重要だと考えていました。

道家の「陰陽」とは何を意味していますか？

道家の「陰陽」は善と悪、または光と闇を意味し、それらは別々の存在ではなく、一枚のコインの両面です。全てのものは完全に否定的でも肯定的でもなく、両方を含むものです。

仏教ではどのようにして苦しみを軽減することができると考えていますか？

仏教では、物欲を離れて、瞬間に満足することで苦しみを軽減することができると考えています。自己やEGOを排除し、瞑想、孤独、そして厳しい身体的および精神的な訓練を通じて達成する必要があります。

孔子の哲学における家族の役割は何ですか？

孔子の哲学では、家族は社会の混沌を防ぐ最初の防衛線であり、社会の堅固な基礎を形成する役割を持っています。家族内では、男性がトップにあり、その後に妻、息子、娘が続きます。

ラオツーの哲学はどのようにして芸術家たちに関連しているとされていますか？

ラオツーは人々に自己の欲望、目標、または野心に従うのではなく、自然の流れを見つけることを強調しています。自然主義（Ziran）という道教の価値観は、自然の創造性と即興性を強調しており、そのため道教は芸術家にとっての宗教と見なされています。

仏教における「自己」とは何ですか？

仏教では自己やEGOは現実ではなく、幻想や蜃気楼、または一時的な侵入者と見なされます。自己は私たちの欲望、野心、目標を燃料にし、私たちを世界で何かを達成するために使用しますが、最終的に満足感を得ることはできません。

孔子が提唱する社会階層とは何ですか？

孔子が提唱する社会階層は、自然の階層構造を模索し、社会の平和を確保するために必要な社会的なピラミッド構造です。各人が自分の位置を知り、混乱や衝突がないように、階層構造に従って社会を組織化する必要があります。

東洋哲学と西洋哲学の主要な違いは何ですか？

東洋哲学は、社会が一般的に集団中心であり、個人は自己の責任を負って社会に適応するように求められます。一方、西洋哲学では個人は固定され、社会や自然是が変動可能です。東洋では自然や社会の組織は固定され、個人は変動可能ですが、西洋では個人は固定され、社会や自然是が変動可能です。

現代の中国社会で孔子教えはどのように適用されていますか？

現代の中国社会では、孔子教えは社会的な状況の解決、学校や大学、企業での年功序列、忠誠心と尊重の重要性、そして伝統的な男性らしさと優秀主義の育成に適用されています。また、中国共産党は効率性のために孔子教えの階層体系を採用し、中国を一つの企業のように運営しています。

Outlines

00:00

📜 東洋哲学の3巨人: 老子、仏陀、孔子

東洋哲学の3巨人である老子、仏陀、孔子の哲学について解説。老子は道教の創始者で、自然と調和し、流れに従う哲学を提唱。仏陀は欲求を捨てることによる苦しみの軽減と自我の排除を説いた。孔子は社会的な秩序と階層制度を重視し、社会的な貢献と責任を強調した。

05:06

🌿 老子の道教哲学: 自然と共生する

老子の哲学は自然と調和し、流れに従うことの重要性を強調。道教の核心概念である無為（wu-wei）を紹介し、自然の流れに従って生きることの意味を説明。また、陰陽の考え方と自然の流れを模倣する芸術家への言及も行う。

10:10

🧘‍♂️ 仏陀の仏教哲学: 欲求を超えて苦しみを軽減する

仏陀の哲学は、欲求が苦しみの原因であり、それを超えることにより真の幸福を得られると説く。自己（ego）を排除し、瞑想と精神的な訓練を通じて儚く、一時的な自我を捨てることが求められる。仏教は個人の内面の旅を重視し、西洋でも影響力を持つ哲学となっている。

15:11

🏛️ 孔子の儒教哲学: 階層制度による社会秩序

孔子の哲学は社会的な秩序と階層制度を重視し、個人が社会の中での役割と責任を果たすことの重要性を説く。自然の階層を模倣し、社会的な混乱を避ける方法を提案。家族の秩序を社会の基礎とし、現代の企業や中国の社会構造にも影響を与えている。

🌐 東洋哲学の結論: 自然と社会との調和

東洋哲学の3巨人の教えを要約し、自然と社会との調和を求める東洋哲学の姿勢と、個人を重視する哲学の個別性を対比。東洋の社会は集団中心であり、西洋は個人中心であることを強調。また、哲学的なアプローチとして動物主義と人道主义、エリティズムと平等主義の対比も行う。

Keywords

💡道家思想

道家思想是中国的一种哲学思想，以老子为代表人物。它强调顺应自然，主张无为而治。在视频中，道家思想被描述为一种与自然和谐共存的生活方式，与自然界的流动相协调，不抗拒自然的方式，而是与之同行。

💡佛教

佛教是由悉达多·乔达摩（佛陀）创立的宗教和哲学体系，强调通过内省和冥想来消除痛苦和欲望，达到涅槃的境界。视频中提到，佛陀认为痛苦源于人的欲望，通过冥想和精神修炼可以消除自我或小我，从而实现真正的幸福和平静。

💡儒家思想

儒家思想由孔子创立，是一种关注社会和政治和谐共存的哲学。它提倡通过建立一个有明确等级制度的社会结构来减少混乱和冲突。视频中指出，儒家思想通过强调个人在社会中的位置和责任，来实现社会秩序和和谐。

💡无为

无为是道家思想中的核心概念，意指不采取强制或人为的行动，而是顺应自然的流动。视频中通过河流绕过岩石的例子来说明无为的概念，表明人类应该顺应自然，而不是试图改变它。

💡阴阳

阴阳是道家哲学中的一个概念，代表自然界中相对的两个方面，如光明与黑暗、积极与消极。视频中提到阴阳共存于每个人之内，表明人内在同时具有看似对立的特质，这是自然的一部分，而不是分离的实体。

💡自我

在佛教中，自我或自我意识被视为一种幻觉，是我们痛苦的根源。视频中解释说，通过冥想和精神修炼，我们可以消除自我，从而减少欲望，达到内心的平静和幸福。

💡社会责任

儒家思想强调个人在社会中的责任和角色。视频中提到，每个人在社会等级制度中都有自己的位置，通过履行自己的责任和义务，可以维持社会的和谐和秩序。

💡自然层次

自然层次或金字塔社会系统是儒家思想中用来描述社会结构的概念。视频中指出，通过模仿自然界中的层次结构，可以建立一个每个人都知道自己位置的社会，从而减少混乱和冲突。

💡庄子

庄子是道家哲学中的另一位重要人物，以其著作《庄子》而闻名。视频中提到《庄子》中的“蝴蝶梦”寓言，用以说明现实与梦境、人与自然之间的界限是模糊的，强调万物一体的哲学思想。

💡禅宗

禅宗是佛教的一个分支，强调直接的心灵体验和冥想修炼。视频中没有直接提到禅宗，但其修炼方法与佛教中通过冥想消除自我、达到涅槃的理念相呼应。

💡社会和谐

社会和谐是儒家思想追求的目标，通过建立一个有明确等级和责任的社会结构来实现。视频中提到，通过每个人了解自己的社会角色并履行相应的责任，可以实现社会和谐，减少冲突。

Highlights

Laozi's philosophy emphasizes flowing with nature rather than resisting it, advocating for intuitive and spontaneous living.

Buddha teaches that suffering arises from desires and attachments to worldly possessions, advocating for inner peace through detachment and elimination of the ego.

Confucius addresses socio-political issues by proposing a hierarchical system based on natural order to maintain social harmony and stability.

Eastern philosophy, represented by Laozi, Buddha, and Confucius, emphasizes individual responsibility and inner transformation rather than changing external circumstances.

The Eastern philosophical tradition focuses on harmony with nature and adaptation to societal norms, contrasting with the Western emphasis on individuality and changing external realities.

Laozi's concept of wu-wei advocates for non-resistance and action through inaction, aligning with the natural flow of the universe.

Buddha challenges the concept of a fixed self or ego, asserting that true enlightenment comes from transcending desires and realizing one's universal soul.

Confucius promotes hierarchy as a means to maintain social order and prevent chaos, with a focus on duty, responsibility, and respect for authority.

Laozi's teachings resonate with Taoism's emphasis on natural spontaneity and creativity, appealing to artists and those seeking intuitive living.

Buddhism's emphasis on meditation and self-discipline offers practical methods for achieving inner peace and enlightenment.

Confucian principles of loyalty, respect, and meritocracy continue to influence social structures and organizational hierarchies in East Asia.

Eastern philosophy advocates for personal transformation as a means to harmonize with society and nature, contrasting with the Western focus on external change.

Laozi's metaphor of the river symbolizes the natural flow of life, encouraging individuals to adapt and navigate challenges without resistance.

Buddha's concept of nirvana underscores the importance of transcending the ego and achieving inner peace through self-awareness and detachment.

Confucius's hierarchical model draws from natural order to establish social stability and prevent conflict, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's place in society.

Transcripts

Previously I discussed the Greek trio of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who influenced western

philosophy, the three most famous eastern philosophers were Lao Tsu, the founder of

Taoism, the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and Confucius, the founder of Confucianism.

I will mainly focus on their philosophies and less on these religious practices which

are quite different in different countries. Eastern philosophical tradition is very rich

and complex, so these three philosophers can help us shed lights on eastern spirituality. 

Laozi Lao Tsu or Laozi lived in 6th century BCE

in China and is said to be the author of Tao Te Ching or Dao de Jing, which is the foundational

text of Taoism, a philosophy that traces its origin to shamanism and hermeticism. Taoism

which is also sometimes called Daoism literally means the way or the enlightened path or nature’s

way which is spontaneous, eternal, unnameable and undefinable. Quote: “Nature does not

hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” It’s simply the flow of the universe, such

as gravity allowing rivers to flow downward, without any effort.

The core idea of Taoism is the doctrine of wu-wei which can be translated as non-resistance

or action through inaction. Wei means purposeful and intentional while wu means there is no,

or lacking. So literally it means there is no purposeful act. A good metaphor for humans

to live their lives by is the river, which the Chinese civilisations relied on. Rivers

flow downward, if hindered by a rock, instead of moving the rock, they flow around it. This

means we should live our lives in alignment or harmoniously with nature, not against nature. 

Another important idea of Taoism is ying and yang or good and evil, which live together

inside everyone so we all have the dark and light. You cannot separate the two. I think

this fundamentally differs from a western religion in which good and evil are thought

to be separate entities. However, according to Taoism, they are two sides of the same

coin. Everything is neither completely negative nor positive, but both. In other words, a

saint has his sins and a sinner has his redeeming qualities. In Taoism, humans are one manifestation

of the Tao or the way, you could say just one species among millions of other species. 

Lao Tsu emphasised not to follow one’s desire, goals or ambitions but rather find your natural

flow. Ziran, which literally means naturally, is a Taoist value which emphasises natural

creativity and spontaneity. As a result Taoism is seen as the religion of the artists who

live a more intuitive and spontaneous life that mimics nature’s flow. You could even

make a connection with Carl Jung’s psychology of the collective subconscious—deeply embedded

memories of our species, or those species before—that artists tap into by finding

the flow of nature. 

This artistic flow is much more elaborated in another book titled the Zhuangzi, supposedly

authored by another important figure in Taoism, a man called Zhuangzi. The book has many humorous

stories, allegories, and anecdotes, with the most famous one being the Butterfly Dream,

in which Zhuang Zhuo wakes up one morning from a dream in which he had turned into a

butterfly. Now he is perplexed and asks this mind-blowing question: Was he dreaming of

a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming Zhuang Zhuo? The answer is not important here, but

the question itself is the main point. We humans seek clear answers or clarity, but

nature doesn’t care about separate entities or separation of different species. Nature

is one big, perpetual flow. From nature’s perspective, a human and a butterfly are simply

two different manifestations of the same thing. Even the state of being awake and dreaming

are false distinctions or dichotomy, because they’re one and the same thing. For example

artists, novelists, musicians often dream or daydream their best works because they

find the flow of nature’s collective subconsciousness. 

Laozi is said to have lived during the Zhuo Dynasty whose capital was close to the Yellow

River, therefore the river is often used as a metaphor for Taoism. Later in Life Laozi

is said to have traveled west where he wrote Dao De Jing in some remote mountains, and

then vanished into thin air, also a great metaphor in how to flow in life like a wind

and river. Today Laozi’s ideas are extremely important but also deeply embedded into the

cultures of China, Korea and Japan. To give you an example, people in Japan tend to be

less confrontational, tend to avoid conflict which fits in with the Taoist idea of non-resistance. 

So to sum up, Laozi or Taoism philosophy centres on the idea of not going against the natural

flow, but flowing with it. Not resisting nature's way, but going with it.

Buddha Siddartha Gautama or the Buddha (563-483 BCE)

lived a luxurious life in a rich Northern Indian family, but he wasn’t happy. He learnt

that suffering was universal among the poor and rich, young and old, and men and women.

But why do we suffer?

The reason we suffer is because of our desires for pleasure. The more we get the more we

want. If we have a big house, next time we will not be fulfilled if we don't get an even

bigger house, bigger cars, more partners, more wealth, friends, subscribers and followers.

At no point, we can satisfactorily say, it is enough. A good example is addiction. If

a small dose makes you high today, but you need a larger dose to give you the same high

a month later or a year later. In other words, as you experience more, your desires also

grow bigger. So life is just an endless cycle of desire, fulfillment of that desire and

more desires. How to solve this problem? 

To ease suffering, according to Buddhism we should nip our wants in the bud by detaching

ourselves from our desires for worldly possessions. Don’t chase things and be happy in the moment.

But it is easier said than done. Everyone says it is a good idea to be content with

what you have right now. But curbing your desires is not an easy job. Why is it so hard? 

Here is when Buddhism gets really interesting and profoundly deep. We all think, we are

who we are. We have a sense of the self we call me and you. We think it is a somewhat

solid entity. In western religions, this self is imparted to us from god. It’s real. This

individual self is genuine and for the most part unchangeable. According to Buddhism,

however, you’re wrong. Why? The self or ego is not real. It’s just an illusion or

a mirage or a temporary imposter attached to our body, you could say like a parasite

it lives on us. What does it do inside us? This imposter self fuels our desires, ambitions,

and goals. In other words, it uses us to go out in the world and achieve things but at

the end of the day we still don’t feel fulfilled. Especially when we achieve everything and

death hits us, we lose our shit because we went to so much trouble acquiring our wealth,

fame, power and now death is snatching it all away from us. It’s a bad deal. So what

is the solution, Mr Buddha?

His answer might shock you. According to Buddha, to be truly enlightened and blissful or to

achieve the nirvana stage, which means we must kill the imposter self. This thing we

call the self or ego is the source of all of our desires. To not desire anything, we

must remove the self. According to Buddhism, our soul is the real thing, and also very

much universal while the self is a kind of picture we put in our head every time we are

born in our various reincarnations. One way to understand this is perhaps through Mr Plato

who also said that the idea of things is the perfect form, and the real thing on the outside

is a mere shadow of the real thing. In Buddhism, your soul is genuine, eternal and universal

while your body and ego are temporary and fleeting. We are not separate from the universe,

but a tiny part of a big whole. To become happy and one with the universe, you must

detach yourself from your desires, and kill the self, through meditations, solitude and

rigorous physical and mental discipline. Quote: “A disciplined mind brings happiness.” 

This is very similar to Schopenhauer’s philosophy of the blind universal will which is a force

beyond our control yet it rules most of what we do in life. There is a disagreement whether

Schopenhauer reached the same conclusion independent of Buddhism and Hinduism or he was influenced

by these Indian philosophies. I will discuss Schopenhauer’s philosophy in more detail

later on. So according to Buddhism to be truly enlightened is to not see yourself as a separate

self, but part of a bigger whole, part of a conscious universe. So true inner peace

comes not from outside, for example by achieving your goals, but from inside once you become

enlightened. 

Buddha’s teachings through various forms of Buddhism are incredibly important in most

of East Asia. Buddhism has also become one of the most influential philosophies in the

west too as it emphasizes individual inner journey rather than collective prayers in

a church. 

So to sum up, Buddha as a rich, powerful prince but wasn’t fulfilled in life and realised

that all humans suffer because of our desires. To ease suffering, we should detach ourselves

from our desires and to be truly blissful, we should eliminate the self or ego through

meditation and mental discipline. 

Confucius  While both Laozi and the Buddha escaped society

for some solitude and inner peace, Confucius (551-479 BCE) however, tried to solve the

practical socio-political questions like how we can live politically and socially together

in peace and harmony or how to organise society in way that is peaceful. So his philosophy

is less individualistic but more concerned about the collective existence, especially

in big cities and countries. 

To find a great solution for socio-political coexistence, Confucius looked at how nature

organizes things, especially in the animal kingdom. One of the biggest problems, and

the main source of wars and violence in a human society is when there is confusion as

to who stands where. Who gets what? Who owns what? Who is responsible for what? He understood

that the best method was the natural hierarchy or a pyramid social system. Without an established

system of hierarchy and authority, there is chaos and confusion. And hierarchy allows

everyone to know their place, so there is no confusion or conflict as to which chair

belongs to who. Removing social confusion was Confucius’s main task (pun intended)

Now, not only everyone knows their own place, they also know other people’s places too.

So instead of a police watching everyone or patrolling the whole society, now everyone

can watch each other. If someone sits in the wrong chair, other people can tell him that

it is not his seat. So if everyone knows their place, everyone can watch everyone so nobody

dares to disrupt the social harmony. So kings at the top of the pyramid and everyone else

take their place based on their ranks and age just like in a game of chess, perhaps

the most logical game humans have invented. Confucius also realised that everything starts

in the family, because it is the first line of defence against chaos. A solid family structure

means a solid foundation for a society. Inside the family, the man is at the top, then wife,

then sons and then daughters. 

One of the most common criticisms against Confucius is the possibility of tyranny. Those

in positions of power can abuse it. Confucius also emphasised responsibility and duty. Those

at the top are responsible to protect those below them. A king is responsible to keep

people safe and a man in the family is responsible to protect and provide for his wife and children.

Those below, in return, are loyal and follow their superiors and do as asked. To understand

Confucianism, you should look things not just from an individual point of view, but from

a collective perspective. For example, if your body parts didn’t function in alignment

with the rest of your body, you are sick and needs treatment. Society is the same. If one

or few members push things in the opposite direction, there is violence, which is a social

illness.

You might think it is pretty outdated, but you would be surprised that this Confucian

hierarchy is a pretty efficient system which is at work in modern companies, because we

hear this cliche that no work is done by a committee, which is true in most situations.

Most corporate structure follows a strict and rigid hierarchy and a chain of command.

In the animal kingdom, a hierarchy is often achieved through violence, but Confucius says,

since it is natural we might as well adopt it to reduce violence. Of course, in the modern

age, revolutions are a common occurrence. Those at the bottom, rebel against the establishment.

That’s why Confucius emphasised duty and responsibility. When a ruler becomes tyrannical,

he fails his duty. It all comes down to respecting your role in society. Quote: ”Without feelings

of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?”

Today, China, Korea and Japan have adopted these Confucian methods in sorting out social

situations where seniority and juniority plays a major role in schools, universities and

companies. Loyalty and respect are significant in Confucianism, but also meritocracy. As

a result, traditionally China had a strict civil service examination for centuries and

only the very bright and intelligent were recruited for high military and government

jobs. 

In the 20th century, however, Mao, the egalitarian socialist, tried to dismantle the Confucian

class hierarchy through the Cultural Revolution that caused great pain for a lot of people.

But of course, the Chinese Communist Party replaced the old class-based Confucian hierarchy

with a political hierarchy. Many economists attribute China’s rapid economic development

to this efficient hierarchical system as China was run like a company, the president being

the CEO of China. Things get done quickly, but of course it also comes at a cost of many

voices being suppressed. Traditionally the Chinese Communist Party used to distance itself

from the archaic Confucius philosophy, because it contradicts the egalitarian philosophy

of socialism in which everyone is equal and there is no hierarchy, at least on paper.

But in reality, every human society has been hierarchical. Even today, China is slowly

moving towards a more Confucian philosophy. As China’s developing, not only it is utilising

a Confucian hierarchy for its efficiency, but also in cultivating a more robust culture

of meritocracy and traditional masculinity which were central to Confucian philosophy. 

Conclusion To sum up, Laozi’s teaching is not to resist

or destroy, or go against nature, but to flow with nature. As a result, he says we should

be more intuitive and spontaneous. In other words, humans are of nature, so it’s time

we forgot our humanness and live in the flow of nature. 

The Buddha taught that suffering is universal because of our goals, desires and ambitions.

To find true peace is to look inside, not to outside material success. And to be truly

happy is to kill your ego or the self that has ambition and desires. 

Confucius tackled the socio-political question of how to live a peaceful coexistence through

a hierarchical system in which everyone knows their place and position in society. 

While the Greeks were questioning truth, authority, poking holes at the natural world to understand

its property, those in the east were seeking a harmonious life with nature, not only with

other humans but with all creatures on earth. The Greeks disagreed with each other, while

the Asians tried to find agreement, consensus not only among humans, but also between humans

and the natural world. 

The fact these three figures founded a religion of their own, while the three Greeks did not,

shows a fundamental difference between eastern and western philosophy. In the east, societies

are generally more group-centred while in the west it is more individual-centred. But

if you really think about it, the philosophies of these three eastern thinkers, is highly

individualised. They put the emphasis on the individual to take charge of themselves. Don’t

change the world, change yourself. So while eastern social fabric is communitarian, the

philosophies are individualistic as they put demand on the individual to take responsibility

for changing themselves so they adapt to the society they live in. Don’t change others

but yourself. Don’t change nature but yourself. The Greeks, however, focused on how to change

nature as quickly, efficiently as possible.

So in the west, individuality is static, god-given or born while social fabric is dynamic. In

other words, in western philosophy the individual is solid and society and nature malleable,

and changeable. In the east, however, nature as well as society’s fabrics are static

while the individual is changeable. In other words, do not attempt to change others or

nature because it is easier to change yourself. If you cannot fit in with others, take a good

look at yourself and find what’s wrong with you. People in the east are less likely to

complain about the world, instead try to adapt to the world. Before you complain that I’m

generalising too much, sit back and relax or look at yourself in the mirror. Don’t

worry, I am kidding.

Next, I will discuss two distinct approaches to philosophy: animalism that sees humans

as animals therefore needed to be herded to bring order, and humanism that sees all humans

as equal to one another. In other words, elitism vs egalitarianism or carnivorous vs herbivorous

philosophies.