Confucianism Daoism And Legalism In Early China

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Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism in Early China

The Spring and Autumn Period began when dignitaries and the capital of Zhou was forced from the Wei River Valley to the east by barbarians from the north. This loss resulted in the steady decline of respect felt by feudal lords for the Emperor of Zhou. It seemed as though the Mandate of Heaven for Zhou’s power was about to expire, and the struggle to replace it began. In the midst of all this chaos and violence, three solutions arose from the ashes. Legalism was seen first, in the Qin dynasty, while Confucianism and Daoism both had strong influences on the Han Dynasty.

Legalism, practiced by the Qin, took Zhou’s mistakes and learned from them. They “sought to break up the patriarchal family (Creel 137). The First Emperor was told to send out his loyal son’s to rule regions under his regime that were distanced. Li Si, one of the brains behind the Qin institution of the legalist doctrine, reminded him of the fate of the Zhou family: as generations passed, the family was not as close, and soon thereafter the feudal lords were fighting with family. In an attempt to hold every officer accountable to the Emperor, the Qin empire was divided into 36 provinces, each with an appointed governor, military commandant, and superintendent. Legalism adopts the doctrine of using strict laws made by a centralized government to rule over the people, who are simple-minded and easily stray. Legalists in general had a low opinion of human nature. The First Emperor ordered that all books containing “non-relevant” information be burned. This included all histories not involving Qin, and any book not discussing pharmacology, divination, agriculture, or arboriculture. Discussion of Classic of Odes and Documents was punishable by death. This attempt at keeping the lower class ignorant was a manipulative way of keeping them in check. The common people, or “black-headed people...