Legalism

• Legal - centered on the law
• ruler should strike fear to his subjetcs
• humans are born evil
• Regulated by the government thru harsh laws and punishment
• One is responsible over the others actions
• Moreover, strict laws, education, and good teachers are what people need to be reminded to do good things. People should also obediently follow the government so that peace and order can be ensured
• Rulers should trust no one, not even their own families. Hanfeizi wrote, “He who trusts will be controlled by others
• The Legalists taught that a ruler should provide rich rewards for people who carried out their duties well. Likewise, the disobedient should be harshly punished
• Shi Huang DI considered as China’s first emperor
• The ruler who founded the Qin dynasty employed Legalist ideas to solve the warring states and unite his country
• The Qin ruler, assumed the name Shi Huangdi, which means “First emperor”
• To prevent criticism, Shi Huangdi and his prime minister, the legalist philosopher Li SU, murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars. They also ordered “useless” books burned. These books were the works of Confucian thinkers and poets who disagreed with the legalists