Joshua Yeh

Professor Xue
Chinese Civilization
15 October 2014
Chinese Civilization Take-o!e "#a!
Our countr$ has %evelo&e% a 'a$ to &rovi%e universal health services to ever$one kno' as( The
)ffor%able Care )ct or health care* +t is sai% that the life e#&ectanc$ of )!erican !en an% 'o!en is
!uch shorter than those of other in%ustrialize% nations, so it 'oul% be i%eal to be !e%icall$ covere%
financiall$ if thin-s 'ere to -o a'r$* The &ur&ose of health care is to financiall$ insure those 'ho
'oul% not nor!all$ be able to &a$ !e%ical e#&enses* +t is co!!on in &resent %a$ to have health care,
an% it.s usuall$ &rovi%e% for b$ the -overn!ent throu-h citizens. ta# !one$* o'ever, %urin- the
%evelo&!ent of )ncient China, the i%ea of health care !a$ have evoke% si!ilar or o&&osin- feelin-s
to'ar% these i%eals*
/$ Confucian stan%ar%s, the i%ea of health care 'oul% !ost likel$ not !i# ver$ 'ell* ealth
care is a &ro%uct of a %e!ocratic -overn!ent, $et, Confucius.s teachin-s conflict the &olitical beliefs of
a &arlia!entar$ s$ste!* Confucius stron-l$ encoura-e% the unit$ of fa!il$* e also believe% that their
shoul% be a har!on$ bet'een rulers or so!e for! of a su&erior ruler 'ith the &eo&le the$ are rulin-*
0or Confucius.s s$ste! to be effective, it 'oul% re1uire that the sub2ects have uncon%itional obe%ience
an% res&ect for their ruler even if $ou %o not a-ree 'ith the!* )n% in return the su&erior 'oul% nee% to
be fair to those he is rulin-* +n this current %a$ an% a-e, our -overn!ent enforces hi-h ta# &a$!ents in
or%er to achieve health care* )n% !a2orit$ of the ti!e, the ar-u!ent that stan%s is that the ta#es
%e%ucte% are see!in-l$ unfair* Confucius once sai% 34o not %o to others 'hat $ou 'oul% not
'ant others to %o to $ou*5 615*278 9ost &eo&le, 'hether in &o'er or not, %efinitel$ 'oul% not like to
have hi-h ta# &a$!ents cheate% fro! the!* :o in this sense, it &roves to be a hu-e %isa-ree!ent* The
ele!ent of 3unfairness5 creates conflict bet'een our su&eriors in -overn!ent 'ith those that feel like a
biase% &ortion of their !one$ is bein- taken a'a$ b$ the -overn!ent* The intent behin% !e%ical health
care is ver$ thou-htful an% hel&s those of lo'er econo!ic social status, ho'ever, if 'e 'ere to enforce
Confucius.s beliefs, it 'oul% not be suitable for our 'a$ of -overn!ent that i!&le!ents a health care
s$ste! like our o'n*
4aois! is another one of China.s s$ste! of beliefs* Dao is consi%ere% a 3&ath5 or 3'a$5, the
natural flo' of thin-s* 4aois! 'oul% res&on% ne-ativel$ to -overn!ental health care* The )ct of
)ffor%able ealth Care is erroneous in such a 'a$ that it interferes 'ith the si!&licit$ of their belief
s$ste!* The &rovision of health care i!&lies that &eo&le that %o not &ossess those &rivile-es 'ill not be
content until the$ are -iven !e%ical health insurance* That -oes a-ainst the 4aoist belief of bein-
satisfie% 'ith their current life* )%%itionall$, ho' can 'e kno' that i!&overishe% &eo&le 'ant health
care in the first &lace; <e assu!e that their lo'er social status an% inabilit$ to &a$ for !e%ical
insurance !eans that the$ !ust have it or that the$ are unha&&$ 'ithout it* Of course, it is a -iven that
&eo&le 'oul% not co!&lain about the lu#uries of life, but in theor$, 4aoists %o not believe in takin-
action base% on a sin-le observation* <e can use the e#a!&le of the fish to illustrate such a situation,
3=You are not a fish, ho' can $ou kno' the ha&&iness of fish;>, =You are not +?>5 6Conversation 'ith
frien% ui Tzu8* @astl$, the co!&le#it$ that is associate% 'ith the collection an% %istribution of ta#es
is, first of all, not at all si!&le* )n% 4aois! is solel$ focuse% on the si!&licit$ of life* The
-overn!ent.s enforce!ent of health care has sent our societ$ into an a-e of chaos* Peo&le %isa-ree 'ith
one another left an% ri-ht %ebatin- 'hether or not ta#in- so !uch !one$ fro! the rich is the ri-ht 'a$
to -o about thin-s* These co!&lications create resistance 'ith the natural &ro-ress of life, therefore
&rovin- to be a ne-ative %isa%vanta-e in 4aoist e$es*
@e-alis! is a s$ste! of beliefs that believes that stron- an% efficient -overn!ent is the ke$ to
havin- a successful civilization* +t involves the strict use of la' in or%er to achieve or%er* @e-alis!
thinks that hu!ans are naturall$ ba% an% that the$ cannot be truste% to !ake their o'n %ecisions*
4urin- the ti!e le-alis! 'as &ractice%, harsh &unish!ents 'ere enforce% to kee& the citizens in line
an% to ensure the &eace* +n !o%ern %a$s, health care 'oul% be associate% 'ith ta#es, therefore a branch
of la'* )n$ violation that involve% failure to !eet the ta# re1uire!ents use% to fun% health care
services 'oul% result in severe &unish!ent* +n a%%ition, the le-alis! s$ste! 'as an 3anti-&oor5 notion*
The an 0eizi believe% that the &oor 'ere i!&overishe% for a reason, so b$ &assin- The )ffor%able
Care )ct, an act of takin- the !one$ fro! the 'ealth$ to ai% those 'ho are not 'as unacce&table* The
an 0eizi once sai%, 34on.t ta# the rich to -ive to the &oor*5 :o in theor$, le-alis! 'oul% not be
effective in to%a$.s -overn!ent that &rovi%es health care*
@astl$, /u%%his! is a!on- one of the !ore co!&assion--eare% s$ste! of beliefs* +n a 'orl%
that &rovi%es health care, the /u%%hist co!!unit$ 'oul% react in a ver$ su&&ortive 'a$* The$ believe
that life shoul% be s&ent searchin- for ha&&iness an% strivin- to achieve an enli-htene% state* That bein-
sai%, those that &ractice /u%%his! 'oul% see universal health care as a &ositive a%vance!ent in
societ$* The$ 'oul% fin% &leasure an% ha&&iness, trustin- that the -overn!ent is han%lin- their ta#
!one$ res&onsibilit$ to hel& i!&rove the better!ent of others* /u%%ha tau-ht that there 'as a !i%%le
state in bet'een self -ratification an% self %e&rivation* /$ &a$in- the ta#es that fun% health care, it is an
in%irect 'a$ of sho'in- co!&assion to others b$ blessin- the! 'ith $our o'n 'ealth 'ith the intent to
assist those 'ho nee% hel&* The$ 'oul% vie' the -overn!ents crucial role un%er a &ositive li-ht*
+n conclusion, ancient Chinese &hiloso&hies 'ill have a varieties of vie's on universal health care*
:o!e !a$ see! o&&ose% to the i%ea 'hile others !a$ feel that healthcare has a &ositive i!&act on
to%a$>s societ$* +f the teachers of these %ifferent &hiloso&hies 'ere here to%a$, the$ 'oul% either voice
their su&&ort of health care or !ake kno'n their %isa-ree!ents an% 'oul% have sta$e% true to 'hat the
believe% in*