Rong Song
Yuanchong Wang. Kathryn Lenart
Hist137
10/18/2015
In such a warring period of China, world was turbulent, from state to state. King, in order to consolidate his country and power, had to carry out reforms to adapt to various national situations. In order to be a strong, rich and powerful kingdom, it must have embraced reforms by practicing Legalism. Legalism enhances the authority of government, standardizes unity of a country, instructs people’s arrangement of their lives and stimulated their initiative.
In Legalism reform, the most significant leap is the enactment of law. Legalism enabled a ruler to build up ruler’s authority. Legalism, contrast to Daoism and Confucianism, emphasizes the widely implement of law. Under the authoritative …show more content…
On one side, as a tool of political power, law also imposed restriction on power. To some degree, they play the role as ‘check and balance’. The existence of law restricts unreasonable execution of power due to personal emotion. On the other side, laws bring power into reality and let it be exercised properly.1 Even though Legalism differs from Daoism and Confucianism it doesn’t affect the morality of enacting those laws. By the co-existence of morality and authority, legalism, ruling by law, lays the foundation for a governor. Early before the prevalence of Shang Yang’s reform, he offered the reward of fifty bronze pieces for anyone who is willing to move the wood from south gate to north gate. People didn’t even try because they didn’t believe how easy to earn such an amount of money by only moving a wood. However, only a man of poor finally decided to attempt to do the task. To their surprise, Shang Yang fulfilled his commitment by awarding this man fifty …show more content…
By the executing of laws, a kingdom will become more orderly. According to the founding father of Legalism Xunzi, laws, by separating the reward and punishments, keep people in line.3 Difference between Legalism and Confucianism is that Confucianism proposed the benevolent governing by example and Legalism advocated the necessity of reward and punishment.4 Benevolence in governing is not a feasible way to build up a powerful country because forgiveness should have certain limit and cannot only base on humanity. Humanity always mixed with personal emotion. An emotional pardon will lead to discontentment of society. An authoritative governor should not change his law by personal intention. If he did, indignation from unfairness would be aroused and the harmony of society would be difficult to maintain. Legalism, by implementing the law, clarifies the standard line of justice and evil. In this way, people will have the same standard sense of evil and right. Common sense manifests the integration of human thought. Even though School of Legalism advocated the human natures were inherently cunning and selfish and human tended to behave criminal. Since morality doesn’t exist, the only way to lead human into a righteous road is by Legalism. The emergences of revolutions are mostly from accumulated social unfairness. If a King cannot be believed and respected by his people, he cannot be in power for a long
Yuanchong Wang. Kathryn Lenart
Hist137
10/18/2015
In such a warring period of China, world was turbulent, from state to state. King, in order to consolidate his country and power, had to carry out reforms to adapt to various national situations. In order to be a strong, rich and powerful kingdom, it must have embraced reforms by practicing Legalism. Legalism enhances the authority of government, standardizes unity of a country, instructs people’s arrangement of their lives and stimulated their initiative.
In Legalism reform, the most significant leap is the enactment of law. Legalism enabled a ruler to build up ruler’s authority. Legalism, contrast to Daoism and Confucianism, emphasizes the widely implement of law. Under the authoritative …show more content…
On one side, as a tool of political power, law also imposed restriction on power. To some degree, they play the role as ‘check and balance’. The existence of law restricts unreasonable execution of power due to personal emotion. On the other side, laws bring power into reality and let it be exercised properly.1 Even though Legalism differs from Daoism and Confucianism it doesn’t affect the morality of enacting those laws. By the co-existence of morality and authority, legalism, ruling by law, lays the foundation for a governor. Early before the prevalence of Shang Yang’s reform, he offered the reward of fifty bronze pieces for anyone who is willing to move the wood from south gate to north gate. People didn’t even try because they didn’t believe how easy to earn such an amount of money by only moving a wood. However, only a man of poor finally decided to attempt to do the task. To their surprise, Shang Yang fulfilled his commitment by awarding this man fifty …show more content…
By the executing of laws, a kingdom will become more orderly. According to the founding father of Legalism Xunzi, laws, by separating the reward and punishments, keep people in line.3 Difference between Legalism and Confucianism is that Confucianism proposed the benevolent governing by example and Legalism advocated the necessity of reward and punishment.4 Benevolence in governing is not a feasible way to build up a powerful country because forgiveness should have certain limit and cannot only base on humanity. Humanity always mixed with personal emotion. An emotional pardon will lead to discontentment of society. An authoritative governor should not change his law by personal intention. If he did, indignation from unfairness would be aroused and the harmony of society would be difficult to maintain. Legalism, by implementing the law, clarifies the standard line of justice and evil. In this way, people will have the same standard sense of evil and right. Common sense manifests the integration of human thought. Even though School of Legalism advocated the human natures were inherently cunning and selfish and human tended to behave criminal. Since morality doesn’t exist, the only way to lead human into a righteous road is by Legalism. The emergences of revolutions are mostly from accumulated social unfairness. If a King cannot be believed and respected by his people, he cannot be in power for a long