A hundred schools of thought Laozi and Confucius both emerged late in the Spring and Autumn period, in a time of frequent warfare when the system of moral education through ritual and music of the Zhou dynasty (11th century-256 BC) had collapsed, and the nobility had abandoned themselves to a life of wanton extravagance supported by ruthless exploitation of the common people.
百家並起老子與孔子同時出現在春秋末年，現實中戰爭頻起，周代的禮樂教化瓦解，貴族階級窮奢亟欲，剝削百姓。