IRB Media Summary of Will Durant's Heroes of History

Annotation

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Chinese civilization is as old as any known to us, and its history is alive with statesmen, sages, poets, artists, scientists, and saints. The Chinese, like our own ancestors, devised legends to explain origins.#2 The first famous Chinese philosopher was Lao-tze, who wrote the book Tao-Te-Ching, or The Way and the Right. He believed in the spontaneous impulses of the people, and that they would move the wheels of life sufficiently on their own. There would be few inventions, since these only added to the strength of the strong and the wealth of the rich.#3 The Chinese philosopher Lao-tze believed that the ideal person was not the pious devotee, but the mature and quiet mind. He believed that wisdom could never be transmitted by words, but only by example and experience.#4 Confucius was a Chinese teacher who lived from 551 B. C. to 479 B. He taught by word of mouth rather than through books, and he strongly desired fame and place. However, he repeatedly refused appointment from rulers who seemed to him immoral or unjust.