Since its establishment in the late centuries BCE, Confucianism acted as the official social ideology for all levels of Chinese society through the Qing dynasty.  It was especially important amongst Chinese scholars and bureaucrats, who were referred to as Confucian Scholars.  Buddhism, though important in China, more affected people's perception of the afterlife.

Polytheists worship many gods.

Monotheists worship one God.

Polytheists may have gods representing the ocean or the sky, but it is not a prerequisite.

Many Romans certainly lauded worldly virtue, but their worship was devoted to multiple gods.

Stoicism was developed in Ancient Greece, and gained popularity throughout the Roman Empire with their beliefs of accepting one's fate, and using self control to rid destructive emotions from the mind. It was widely practiced until the imposition of Christianity as a state religion by Justinian I.

Hippocrates, who lived from 460 BCE until 370 BCE, is widely considered the father of western medicine for his contributions to the Hippocratic schools of medicine as well as the Hippocratic Oath. He is also credited with making major advances in the clinical medicine as well as condensing existing medial knowledge into more usable medical texts. Additionally, Hippocrates was the first western physician to categorize diseases into various categories including acute and chronic.

Ashoka the Great (268 - 232 B.C.E.) is a complicated figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. He conquered the vast majority of the subcontinent as ruler of the Mauryan Dynasty. Naturally, as a conqueror, his actions involved a great deal of bloodshed and death. Yet, at some point, he appears to have developed regret. He turned away from violence and towards Buddhism. He encouraged religious tolerance in India, and this became his most enduring legacy. 

Confucius lived in a particularly turbulent time in Chinese history, during the Warring States Period when rival states were engaged in centuries of constant war and competition. His writings were primarily designed to restore order to Chinese society by emphasizing filial piety, loyalty, and obedience to the state.

According to legalism the power of government is derived from the productivity of its agriculture and the strength of its army. Legalism is a Chinese philosophy and theory of politics that is primarily concerned with encouraging and maintaining state authority and strong centralized government.

The Analects is a collection of the ideas and teachings of Confucius that was written by Confucius and his students during The Hundred Schools of Thought period of Chinese history. The Analects is considered as one of the primary text that outlines Confucian philosophy.

Taoism encourages people to live in accordance and harmony with nature. An ideal Daoist state would feature people living in small, self-sufficient communities.

The Mandate of Heaven may be understood as the Chinese equivalent of the so-called Divine Right of Kings in Europe. Both were philosophies designed to provide legitimacy to those who were ruling by invoking the support and inherent approval of God. The Mandate of Heaven was first developed by the Zhou to justify their betrayal and conquest of the Shang. According to the Zhou, the Shang had abdicated the Mandate of Heaven through ineffective and abusive governance.