1. |
Focus Question:
How were the "intellectual and religious revolutions" that developed between 800 and 300 BCE of the
similar and how did they differ? |
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What were the four great revolutions in thought and religion that developed between 800 and 300 BCE?
Which showed the most straightforward continuity with the earlier river valley
civilization? In what ways were the Greek and Chinese revolution similar? How/Why did Chinese philosophy manage to maintain its grip on China for so many centuries? How does the Chinese worldview picture the cosmos? How did Confucius
describe himself? When did Confucius believe China had its golden
age? When did Confucius believe that harmony would prevail?
According to Confucius, on what did good government depend? When did Confucianism
become the official philosophy of China? How did Mencius and Xunzi (Hsun-tzu) disagree on their interpretation on Confucius' principles? What is the central concept of Daoism? How does the sage follow the rhythms of nature? What two assumptions underline Daoist thought? What was the Daoist attitude toward
government? What were the principle ideas of Legalism? Which
state adopted legalism as their state ideology? What influence did
legalism have upon subsequent legal developments in China? |
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| 2. |
Focus Question: What
common "roots" do Buddhism, Jainism and the Hindu Tradition share and how
do these three belief systems differ?
What concepts characterize
Hindu institutions? Against which religious practices did the late Brahmanas
and the Upanishadic treatises rebel? What two Upanishadic ideas were
key to shaping Indian thought? How did the Upanishadic tradition view the
nature of reality? What was the culmination of Upanishadic speculation
about the way to the Absolute? What was the Upanishadic tradition's concept
of existence? Following the Upanishadic period, what was the fundamental
problem of all Indian thought? In response to samsara,how
does the way of dharma differ from moksha? What is
the highest goal of
dharma, of moksha? Who founded the Jain
tradition? What was his goal and how did he attempt to achieve it?
What was the paramount rule of the Jains? What is the greatest
virtue for the Jains (as well as the Buddhists)? What are the four noble
truths of Buddhism? In what sense was Buddhism a "middle path?" |
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one hundred schools
Analects
Confucian classics
Tao
Hindu
atman
Brahman
samsara
karma
moksha
Siddhartha Gautama
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