Confucius

>Confucius
>Mozi
>Mencius
>Laozi
>Zhuangzi
>Xunzi
>Han Fei

One of them will show you the way. The others will scorn you eternally for not following theirs. Who do you choose?

At least Conficius has political power and influence.

I only need Daoism in my life.

>wanting to be unhewn wood
gross

Han Fei actually had a lot of influence on Mao, perversely enough

I stand corrected, honorable Veeky Forumstorian.

Either you are in tune with Dao or you are not.

Han Fei easy.

Guan Yu

Han Fei all the way. Tho I creatly admire Laozi and Xunzi considered they was huge insperations to Han Fei.

Not entierly, there is a reason why the chinese idom 儒表法裡(Outside Confucious, Legalist within) exists. The Confucious society without laws have never been realized.

that means jack shit if you've done any readings

I don't get the Han Fei love. What do you see in his ideology besides
>muh carrot
>much stick

although it is the most comprehensive ideology any of them had

>What do you see in his ideology
It's basically political realism ante litteram.
Confucianism may well have been the most socially acceptable philosophy, but legalism is how the Middle Kingdom worked.

but wasn't Han Fei's model basically derivative of Mozi?

Mohism influenced legalism yes, but so what? They're still very different philosophies.
I think it would be fair to say that they arrive to the same conclusions through different reasonings. They certainly start from different views of humankind.

who needs asian philosophy anyhow?

Han Fei.

Who was the most classical liberal?

how so? they're both very pessimistic

it's very interesting to me how much our language clearly shapes our philosophy. I wonder what it was about ancient Chinese that favored Daoism, and what it is about English that inspires essentially Cartesian/enlightenment thought

>how so?
Basically Mohism is moral theory, Legalism political theory.
Mozi talks of how men ought to behave, Han Fei talks of statecraft.
Mozi argued that benevolence comes to human beings "as naturally as fire turns upward or water turns downward", Han Fei argued that human nature is inherently evil and virtueless.