The various schools of thoughts of gods and spirits in the pre - Qin times: a survey

The various schools of thoughts in pre - Qin times mainly found expression in gods legends and mysterious affairs at that time. Confucius, Mencius, Zhuangzhi and Hsun Tzu represented thoughts of gods at this period . Confucius never ignored gods or ghosts. He is opposed to talk of gods and in a mysterious manner. He hoped to remove mystic force in fashion. Mezhi held that common people should accept supervision of gods, mountains, rivers, ghosts and be adapted to will of the Heaven. Zhuangzhi's view of gods and ghosts, an extension of his own political ideal, was formed on basis of Taoists' political thoughts. Hsun Tzu lived in The Wars of Six States, age of wide - spreading witchcrafts. He inherited and developed Confucius' thought of nonverbal and pan - gods and turned agnostic Doctrine of Determinism to so - called Doctrine of Common Sense, which reflected natural laws of Nature and human society, and severely criticized all heresies and harmful doctrines. Thus formed scientific attitude and critical spirit. The schools of thought concerning and gods advocated by Confucius and Mezhi, Zhuangzhi and Hsun Tzu were comprehensive and stylistic respectively, which not only embodied god - ghost ideas of various schools and also showed developmental process of god - ghost thoughts.