Shang Junshu and Han Feizi are the most important foundations of Legalists.
Centralization is only a system, and legalists are not only loyal to the emperor. It is no accident that Qin destroyed the six countries and unified the whole country.
The State of Qin in the Warring States period was a model of governing the country according to law.
Oppose the ritual system
Legalists attach importance to law and oppose Confucian "rites". In their view, the emerging landlord class at that time opposed the hereditary privilege of monopolizing economic and political interests by nobles and demanded private ownership of land, which was a fair and correct proposition. The etiquette system of maintaining aristocratic privileges is backward and unfair.
The role of law
The first function is to "settle disputes", that is, to clarify the ownership of things. Shen Dao, one of the legalists, made a very simple analogy: "A rabbit went and a hundred people chased it. Accumulate rabbits in the market and ignore them. No rabbits, no arguments. " A rabbit ran away, and many people chased it, but they didn't look at so many rabbits in the market. It's not that you don't want rabbits, but that the ownership has been determined and you can't argue any more, otherwise you will violate the law and be punished.
The second function is to "make meritorious deeds and fear violence", that is, to encourage people to make meritorious deeds and make those who are lawless feel afraid. The ultimate goal of prosperity is to make Qiang Bing rich and win the war of annexation.
The theory of human nature of "likes and dislikes"
Legalists believe that all people have the nature of "liking advantages and avoiding disadvantages" or "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages". As Guan said, a businessman runs around day and night, driving thousands of miles doesn't feel far, because interests attract him ahead. Fishing people are not afraid of difficulties and dangers, and they don't care if they sail against the current. It is also the pursuit of fishing interests. Based on the same idea, Shang Yang came to the conclusion: "There are likes and dislikes in life, so the people can cure them."
Historical view of "violating the past and not following the present"
Legalists oppose conservative retro ideas and advocate reform. They believe that history is developing forward, and all laws and systems should develop with the development of history, neither retrogressive nor conformist. Shang Yang clearly put forward the idea of "violating the past and not following the present". Han Fei further developed Shang Yang's proposition that "time-shifting chaos is difficult to cure", and he satirized the conservative Confucianism as a fool waiting for him.
The general plan of governing the country by combining law, technique and situation
Shang Yang, Shen Dao and Shen Buhai advocated attaching importance to law, potential and technique respectively, each with its own characteristics. When Han Fei, a master of legalism, put forward the idea of combining the three closely. Law refers to perfecting the legal system, and potential refers to the power of the monarch, and it is necessary to monopolize the military and political power. Art refers to the strategies and means of controlling ministers, mastering political power and enforcing laws and regulations. It is mainly to detect and prevent the crime of rebellion and maintain the status of the monarch.