Chinese Philosophy – Legalist

Legalism is an important school that advocates the rule of law as its core idea in Chinese history, and its mission is to enrich the country and strengthen the military. The ” Han Shu·Yi Wen Zhi ” is listed as one of the ” nine streams “. Legalists are not pure theorists, but activists who have actively joined the WTO. Their thinking also focuses on the actual effects of the law. Legalist thought includes many aspects such as ethical thought, social development thought, political thought, and rule of law thought. Legalist ethics refers to the concept of honesty and justice based on the concept of human nature.

Legalism matures late, but forming early, can be traced back to the Xia and Shang Dynasty management officer, mature in the Warring States period. Spring and Autumn and the Warring States are also known forms and names to learn, after Guan, Shi Gai, Zichan, Kui, Wu Qi, Shang Yang, Shen Dao, Shen Buhai, Yue, drama Xin, who shall develop, became a school. At the end of the Warring States Period, Han Fei summed up and synthesized their theories and gathered the masterpieces of the Legalists. Its scope involves the social sciences of law, economy, administration, organization, and management, and involves social reform, law, economics, finance, currency, international trade, administration, organization theory, and operations research.

Legalists were the political spokespersons of the civilians during the Warring States Period, and they could be described as “single in the world” in politics. Emphasize “Don’t be close to each other, don’t be distinguished from noble and inferior, and always be judged by the law.” Legalist thought, as a major faction, put forward the propositions and concepts of rule of law that are still far-reaching. This is enough to show that they attach great importance to the legal system and regard the law as a kind of favorable social rule. These compulsory tools, these ideas that embody the construction of the legal system, have been used to this day, and they have become the main means of governance for centralized powers to stabilize social turmoil. The birth of contemporary Chinese law is influenced by legalism, which has strong constraints on a country’s politics, culture, and morals, and has a profound impact on the modern legal system.