Representative figures: Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi. Works: The Analects of Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi.

Confucianism is one of the important schools in the Warring States period. In the Spring and Autumn Period, it took Confucius as the teacher, took the six arts as the law, advocated "propriety and benevolence", advocated "loyalty and forgiveness" and impartial "golden mean", advocated "rule by virtue" and "benevolent government", and attached importance to moral and ethical education and human cultivation.

Confucianism emphasizes the role of education and thinks that attaching importance to education while ignoring punishment is the only way for the country to be stable and the people to be rich and happy. It advocates "education without class", and both the ruler and the ruled should be educated to make the whole country a virtuous person.

Politically, he also advocated ruling the country by courtesy and taking morality for the people, and called for the restoration of the "Zhou Li", which he thought was an ideal way to realize ideal politics. By the Warring States period, there were eight schools of Confucianism, among which Mencius and Xunzi were the most important.

Mencius' thought is "the people should be wise to the monarch" and advocates that the rulers should practice "benevolent government" On the discussion of human nature, he thinks that human nature is good and puts forward the theory of "good nature", which is completely different from Xunzi's theory of "evil nature" The reason why Xunzi put forward that human nature is evil is also a more acute manifestation of social contradictions during the Warring States period.

Second, Taoism:

Representative figures: Laozi, Zhuangzi and Liezi. Works: Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi and Liezi.

Taoism is one of the important schools in the Warring States period, also known as "Taoists". This school is based on Laozi's "Tao" theory and uses "Tao" to explain the essence, origin, composition and change of everything in the universe. It believes that heaven does nothing, and all things naturally turn into life, denies that ghosts and gods dominate all things, and advocates that Taoism is natural and natural, advocates quietism, keeps women soft, and combines rigidity and softness. Political ideal.

Third, Mohism:

Representative: Mozi. Works: Mozi

Mohism was an important school in the Warring States Period, and its founder was Mo Zhai.

The theoretical basis of this school is "mutual love and mutual benefit": treat others as yourself; Universal love means loving your lover as yourself. "Love the world" can achieve the purpose of "mutual benefit". Politically, it advocates respecting the virtuous, respecting the same, and non-aggression; Economically, it advocates vigorously saving costs; Ideologically, he put forward the idea of respecting heaven and ghosts, and at the same time put forward the idea of "no life", emphasizing self-reliance.

Mohism has a strict organization, and most of its members come from the lower classes. According to legend, everyone can go to the fire and dance with knives and axes to motivate themselves. Their disciples are arguing, which is called "Mohist Debate". Those who engage in martial arts are called "Moxia"; Leaders are called "giants". His discipline is strict, and it is said that "the Mohist law, the murderer dies, the injured person is punished" ("Lv Chunqiu").

After Mo Zhai's death, it was divided into three schools. By the late Warring States period, it merged into two schools: one focused on the study of epistemology, logic, mathematics, optics, mechanics and other disciplines, and was called "post-Mohist" (also known as "post-Mohist"), and the other was transformed into a ranger in the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Fourth, legalists:

Representative figures: Han Fei, Li Si, Shang Yang. Works: Han Feizi.

Legalism is one of the important schools in the Warring States Period. It is called a legalist because it advocates the rule of law, "don't be intimate with others, don't be too noble or too humble, and be divorced from the law." In the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong and Zi Chan were the pioneers of legalist thought. In the early Warring States period, Li Kui, Shang Yang, Shen Buhai and Shen Dao founded the Legalist School. By the end of the Warring States Period, Han Fei had integrated Shang Yang's "Fa" with Shen Dao's "Fa".

Economically, this school advocates abandoning mineral fields, emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce, and rewarding farming; Politically, it advocates abolishing the enfeoffment system, setting up counties, autocratic monarchy, taking advantage of the situation and ruling by severe punishment and strict law; In the aspect of ideological education, banning a hundred schools of thought and taking officials as teachers provide a theoretical basis and action plan for establishing a unified monarchy.

There are 2 17 legalists' works recorded in Han Shu Yi Wen Zhi, of which nearly half have been preserved so far, the most important ones are Shang Jun Shu and Han Feizi.