Final answer:
The person described in the passage is Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher who emphasized relationships and the golden rule and contributed to the shaping of society and government through moral teachings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual described in the passage is Confucius, born in the chaos of the ancient Chinese state of Lu, who worked to bring order to society and government through moral teachings. He is renowned for emphasizing the importance of relationships and the practice of the golden rule. Confucius argued for a moral government and believed in the cultivation of virtue through sincerity and correct ritual practices. Unlike the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, who converted to Buddhism after witnessing the horrors of war and became a devout man of peace, Confucius did not have a grandiose transformation; rather, he spent his life teaching and advising local rulers while reflecting on the Zhou rituals. He traveled as a teacher, and his ideas spread far and wide, later encoded in texts such as The Analects.