This course is designed to give students a thorough introduction to early (pre 221 BCE) Chinesethought, its contemporary implications, and the role of philosophy and religion in human flourishing.This period of Chinese history witnessed the formation of all of the major indigenous schools ofChinese thought (Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism), which in turn had an impact on thedevelopment of East Asian cultural history that is still felt today. Students will be exposed to both received texts and recently discovered archeological texts; this combination of sources will both enrichstudents’ understanding of the world of thought in early China and call into question the boundariesdrawn between the traditionally-defined “schools” such as Daoism or Confucianism.Important themes to be discussed include the ideal of wu-wei or “effortless action,” the paradox of howone can consciously try not to try, models of the self and self-cultivation, rationality versus emotions,trust and human cooperation, and the structure and impact of different spiritual and political ideals. Wewill also explore parallels with Western philosophical and religious traditions, the relevance of earlyChinese thought for contemporary debates in ethics, moral education, and political philosophy, and themanner in which early Chinese models of the self anticipate recent developments in the evolutionaryand cognitive sciences.