ligion preached a doctrine of working against nature (3). According to Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu life followed by death is nature's course, a fact to be accepted (3). Another early Taoist Yang Chu observed that it was best to preserve one's life and maintain what was genuine in it, "not allowing things to entangle one's person" (61). Although Yang Chu's thought has sometimes been associated with hedonism, later scholars have repudiated this claim (61).
Mo Tzu (479-381 B.C.) stands as the next major philosopher after Confucius. While composing the 53 chapters of the Mo-tzu he founded the Mohist School which opposed Confucian teachings and traditional institutions and their practices. Whereas Confucius upheld the significance of the Chou dynasty's institu-tions including their rituals, music and literature, Mo Tzu attacked their validity and rallied for their replacement with a simpler aesthetic. In this pairing, Confucius is willing to rationalize and justify the Chou dynasty in ethical terms eve
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