Thales was the first to discover the period of one solstice to the next. He discovered the seasons, which he divided into 365 days. He was the first to state that the size of the Sun was 1/720 part of the solar orbit just as the Moon was 1/720 part of the lunar orbit.

From these five statements we can identify four basic tenets of Thales’ world view: (1) The world derives from water; (2) The world rests on water; (3) The world is full of gods; (4) Soul produces motion.

Throughout his life, he managed to impose a scientific way of thinking in many areas, from mathematics to philosophy. In many ways, you could say that Thales changed the world, but what makes him widely popular are usually the theorems which revolutionized math.

6 – Seven thinkers and how they grew: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz; Locke, Berkeley, Hume; Kant.

Samkhya

Thales

Here are 10 Greatest Philosophers who ever lived

• Aristotle. The list of the greatest philosophers is incomplete without Aristotle.
• Immanuel Kant. After Aristotle, Immanuel Kant comes at number #2 in the list of the greatest philosopher who ever lived.
• John Locke.
• Epicurus.
• Zeno of Citium.
• Plato.
• Confucius.
• David Hume.

Each was a philosophy, a study of basic truths and ideas about the universe. Each philosophy’s goal was exactly the same – to restore peace, order, and stability to China.

Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are considered the “three pillars” of ancient Chinese society. As philosophies and religions, they not only influenced spirituality, but also government, science, the arts, and social structure.

Confucianism and Daoism were able to coexist in ancient China. The reason for this was because different parts of each religion pleased the Chinese people. Daoism gave the people an imagination. Confucianism gave the people order and respect in the country.

This period is considered the golden age of Chinese philosophy. Of the many schools founded at this time and during the subsequent Warring States period, the four most influential ones were Confucianism, Daoism (often spelled “Taoism”), Mohism and Legalism.

The main concepts of this philosophy include Ru (humaneness), righteousness, propriety/etiquette, loyalty, and filial piety, along with strict adherence to social roles.

Most ethnic Tibetans practice a distinct form of Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism. The Uighurs, who primarily live in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, are predominantly Muslim. Over a dozen religious or spiritual groups are banned in China as “evil cults,” including Falun Gong and the Church of Almighty God.

The earliest association of Chinese philosophy with a specific figure whose work is not only still extant, but widely used, is that of Confucius (personal name Kong Qiu, also known as “Master Kong” or Kongzi, 551-479 B.C.E.). Confucius was born, lived, and taught during the classical period of China.

The Main Beliefs of Confucianism Chung – Loyalty to the state, etc. Li – includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc. Hsiao – love within the family, love of parents for their children, and love of children for their parents. Jen – benevolence, humanness towards one another (the most important Confucianism virtue)

The three main schools of thought in China are Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism.

The term tian may refer to a deity, to impersonal nature, or to both. As a god, tian is sometimes perceived to be an impersonal power in contrast to Shangdi (“Supreme Ruler”), but the two are closely identified and the terms frequently used synonymously.

Jade Emperor

revere Lao Tsu

Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E. There are no Confucian gods, and Confucius himself is worshipped as a spirit rather than a god. However, there are temples of Confucianism, which are places where important community and civic rituals happen.

The Five Virtues

• Jen – goodwill, empathy, generosity.
• Yi – rightness, duty as guardians of nature and humanity.
• Li – right conduct and propriety, demonstrating your inner attitude with your outward expressions.
• Chih – wisdom.
• Hsin – faithfulness and trustworthiness.

Finally, the five constant virtues of Confucianism are “ren” (benevolence), “yi” (righteousness), “li” (propriety), “zhi” (wisdom), and “xin” (trustworthiness).

There is no god in Confucianism, but rather a force called the Tao, also known as the Great Ultimate. Confucius believed that the Tao was the impetus for creation and that this force flows through all life, enabling change and betterment.

The goal of Confucianism is to create a peaceful society through bettering the attitudes and behaviors of individual followers.

Confucianism, the teachings of Confucius during 500 BC, has played an important role in forming Chinese character, behavior and way of living. (Eliot 2001; Guo 1995) Its primary purpose is to achieve harmony, the most important social value.

The Five Constant Virtues mean the Confucian virtues of benev- olence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), propriety (li 義), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信). As with the Fundamental Bonds, these five virtues are the most significant ones and thus serve as shorthand for all the Confucian virtues.

In descending order of importance, the virtues are benevolence or ren (仁), righteousness or yi (义), propriety or li (理), wisdom or zhi (智) and fidelity or xin (信).

And five centuries before Christ, Confucius set forth his own Golden Rule: “Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.”

Confucius taught six arts: (1) ritual, (2) music, (3) archery, (4) charioteering, (5) calligraphy and (6) mathematics. These subjects included both knowledge from classic texts and knowledge achieved by doing and practising.