(c. 575 B.C.E.) bureaucrat in ancient China known as "old boy". Developed a nonlogical and paradoxical manner of communicating his belief that Tao is not a concept that can be grasped cognitively or logically.
Book: the Tao teChing
Wuwei
Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu)
(551-479 B.C.E.) tried to produce political harmony by cultivating moral harmony within each individual via jen and li
Book: the Analects
Humanism and the Golden Mean
Siddhartha Gautama
(c. 560-480 B.C.E.) born into wealth and power as son of a prince in Nepal. Proposed a Middle Path. After becoming a Buddha, he became a bodhisattva.
the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
Protagoras of Abdera
one of the most influential Sophists. Morals are nothing more than the mores (social traditions) of a society/group. Following local mores is the best way to live successfully and well - in that place.