How did Legalism affect Chinese Culture and History?
In contrast to Taoism’s intuitive anarchy, and Confucianism’s benevolence, Legalism is a Classical Chinese philosophy that emphasizes the need for order above all other human concerns. The political doctrine developed during the brutal years of the Fourth Century BCE (Schafer 83). The Legalists believed that government could only become a science if rulers were not deceived by pious, impossible ideals such as “tradition” and “humanity.” In the view of the Legalists, attempts to improve the human situation by noble example, education, and ethical precepts were useless. Instead, the people needed a strong government and a carefully devised code of law, along with a policing force that would stringently and impartially enforce these rules and punish harshly even the most minor infractions. The Ch’in founder based his rule on these totalitarian principles, and had strong hopes that his government would endure forever. The founder of the Legalistic school was Hsün Tzu or Hsün-tzu. The most
