Key difference: Confucianism and Taoism are both ancient Chinese styles of living. The difference between these two philosophies is based on their teachings, wherein Taoism is all about the relationship between a man and nature, and Confucianism is more about the relationship between man and the society.

Confucianism and Taoism are two of the most influential and religious beliefs of ancient China. Often, they are considered as polar opposites of each other. Though, they stem from similar goals and beliefs, Confucianism and Taoism have different views on religion and politics. Confucianism is mainly focused on the social virtue, ethics and its impact on the relationship between a man and his society, whereas Taoism focuses on the individual life in relationship with the ‘Tao’ or ‘the way of nature’. They both are regarded as a path of life.

Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system that was developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. The core of this religion is humanity, morality and ethics. The main focus, here, is on the basic relationship between man and his society. It encourages social harmony and mutual respect between the people. It mainly concerns with the good value that is obtained by establishing social values.

Taoism, on the other hand, has a direct focus on the person and his place in nature. It has a more liberal and direct perspective on life. It does not have set of moral codes or society structures; this philosophy is more about finding the way of life through nature and universe around him. It concentrates on a person’s relationship with himself to achieve inner harmony. It encourages an individual to understand the natural values of the world, and thus, in turn becomes more in tune with their inner-selves.

Another area of distinction is in their values, wherein Confucius strongly believed in attaining harmony between governments. He believed that both, knowledge and education were vital, in order for the people to understand the moral and ethics that are required for a proper society. And, all this could only be possible when the values are passed down to the future generations through institutions such as schools, family, and religious organizations.

While, in Taoism, the main focus is what the ‘Tao’ or ‘the way’ refers to, as it represents the laws of nature and how they work and respond. It focuses on the human experience, the feeling of oneness with the universe. Tao is defined as the driving force that ‘does’ without ‘doing’. The objective of Taoism is for a person to align harmoniously with the ‘Tao’ i.e. to achieve immortality by taking the right path in life. 

Both these philosophies had an amazing impact on the growth, religion, traditions and beliefs of the people of ancient China. It was during the 6^th century BCE that the contemporaries, Confucius and Lao-tzu, are believed to have lived and taught. Also, both their ideas were focused on self improvement: Confucianism in the form of relations with others, and Daoism in the form of relations with oneself and nature. Clearly, as these two philosophies co-existed, they had strong contrasts with similar underlines.

Comparison between Taoism and Confucianism:

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