Philosophies and Ideologies 600 BCE to 600 CE - AP World History: Modern

Stoicism was developed in Ancient Greece, and gained popularity throughout the Roman Empire with their beliefs of accepting one's fate, and using self control to rid destructive emotions from the mind. It was widely practiced until the imposition of Christianity as a state religion by Justinian I.

Polytheists worship many gods.

Monotheists worship one God.

Polytheists may have gods representing the ocean or the sky, but it is not a prerequisite.

Many Romans certainly lauded worldly virtue, but their worship was devoted to multiple gods.

Hippocrates, who lived from 460 BCE until 370 BCE, is widely considered the father of western medicine for his contributions to the Hippocratic schools of medicine as well as the Hippocratic Oath. He is also credited with making major advances in the clinical medicine as well as condensing existing medial knowledge into more usable medical texts. Additionally, Hippocrates was the first western physician to categorize diseases into various categories including acute and chronic.

Ashoka the Great (268 - 232 B.C.E.) is a complicated figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. He conquered the vast majority of the subcontinent as ruler of the Mauryan Dynasty. Naturally, as a conqueror, his actions involved a great deal of bloodshed and death. Yet, at some point, he appears to have developed regret. He turned away from violence and towards Buddhism. He encouraged religious tolerance in India, and this became his most enduring legacy.

The Han Feizi is the central text of legalism. It is a collection of essays written by Han Fei in the third century B.C.E. Most of the essays are concerned with government authority and the proper administration of a state.

Sparta is a prominent and noteworthy city-state in the history of Ancient Greece. Spartan society is primarily remembered for its emphasis on combat aptitude and its successful military campaigns. The Spartan army was instrumental in fending off Persian invasion during the Persian Wars. It is was also responsible for the destruction of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War.

Confucius lived in a particularly turbulent time in Chinese history, during the Warring States Period when rival states were engaged in centuries of constant war and competition. His writings were primarily designed to restore order to Chinese society by emphasizing filial piety, loyalty, and obedience to the state.

Epicureanism is an ancient Greek system of philosophy that was first developed by Epicurus in the fourth century BCE. Epicureanism was centered around the pursuit of pleasure through modesty, knowledge, self-control, and study.

According to legalism the power of government is derived from the productivity of its agriculture and the strength of its army. Legalism is a Chinese philosophy and theory of politics that is primarily concerned with encouraging and maintaining state authority and strong centralized government.

Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that was founded in the third century BCE. It maintains that the highest virtue in life is the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. For this reason it is often contrasted against Epicureanism (with its emphasis on the pursuit of pleasure), but this contrast is somewhat unfair and is based on a modern interpretation of Epicureanism as a debauched hedonistic philosophy.

The Analects is a collection of the ideas and teachings of Confucius that was written by Confucius and his students during The Hundred Schools of Thought period of Chinese history. The Analects is considered as one of the primary text that outlines Confucian philosophy.

Taoism encourages people to live in accordance and harmony with nature. An ideal Daoist state would feature people living in small, self-sufficient communities.

Alexander the Great was raised in the wealthy Macedonian court of Philip II (his father). Philip II of Macedon was an extremely capable and ambitious ruler, he expanded the size and power of Macedonia and paved the way for the later conquests of Alexander the Great. He was also determined that his son Alexander should receive an exemplary education and so the famous philosopher and teacher Aristotle was summoned to the Macedonian court.

The Hundred Schools of Thought period of Chinese history occurred concurrently with the Warring States Period of Chinese history, from the fifth to the second century BCE. This was a time of great turbulence in China, but also of great innovation and philosophical development. The Chinese philosophies of legalism, Taoism, and Confucianism all arose in this time period. Buddhism, however, developed in India during the first millennium BCE.

The primary goal of the Chinese philosophical tradition known as legalism was to strengthen the power and authority of the central state and encourage obedience to the government. Legalism was highly effective at supporting the growth of the power of Qin Shi Huangdi in the immediate aftermath of the Warring States Period, but became unpopular due to its disregard for Chinese traditional values.

The Qin Dynasty rose to power during the Warring States Period of Chinese history. It became powerful as a result of a series of legalism reforms enacted in the fourth century BCE. But, the Qin’s strict adherence to legalism made them extremely unpopular once in power. All of these groups (with the obvious exception of advocates for legalism) might have been critical of the rule of Qin Shi Huangdi, but Confucian scholars definitely would have been. Confucianism and legalism were rival schools of thought and Confucian scholars would have been appalled by the Qin’s strict adherence to legalism.

Confucius lived during the Warring States Period of Chinese history (475 - 221 BCE), and also during the period of Chinese history known as The Hundred Schools of Thought. He developed a cohesive philosophy/religion known as Confucianism, which has been widely influential in Chinese society ever since.

Zeno and Cleanthes were ancient Greek philosophers who were both instrumental in the formation and development of Stoicism. Zeno is often credited as the founder of Stoicism, he lived in Athens in the fourth and third centuries BCE. Cleanthes was the head of the Athenian school of Stoicism in the third century BCE.

Confucianism, which is a philosophical tradition based on the teaching of Confucius, was and still is an important part of Chinese philosophy and Chinese culture. The most famous aspect of his teachings is the golden rule: "treat others as you want to be treated."