The Three Schools of Thought from the Phillosophers of China

All of China was in the midst of the Warring States Period. Many great philosophers and visionaries were trying to make peace, and a myriad of different methods were put forth. Three methods in particular eventually emerged, and came to be known as the three schools of thought. Two of these schools were Legalism and Confucianism. These philosophies had their similarities and differences. One of the philosophies, however, worked better in ancient China and would work better in a modern day scenario. Which one would be the most successful?

Legalism was adopted by the Qin dynasty shortly after the Warring States Period and was used for the short period of the dynasty’s rule. Legalism is a philosophy based upon setting strict laws, harshly punishing those who don’t follow them, and rewarding those who do. Those who disagreed with the laws, and created rumors about or threatened the emperor would be harshly punished, or sometimes even executed. Those who followed the laws were rewarded, but more often, people were being punished. People were beginning to get angry with all of the strict laws and harsh punishments, but there was nothing to be done! Because of these flaws, shortly after the emperor, Qin Shihuang died, the citizens of the Qin dynasty rebelled, and the Qin dynasty was overthrown forever. If a different philosophy had been employed, the fate of the Qin dynasty might have been different.

Confucianism was used by the Han Dynasty, and was far more successful than Legalism for several clear reasons. Confucianism was thought up by a philosopher named Confucius. Confucianism focuses primarily upon leading by example, and respecting basic relationships, such as teacher and student, or ruler and subject. Confucius’s main thoughts were compiled into texts. These texts are what inspired the first emperor of the Han dynasty to adopt the philosophy. The Han dynasty lasted for almost four hundred years, and most historian’s think that it was how the dynasty was governed that made them so successful.

Legalism and Confucianism are similar in many ways. For example, they were both used by different dynasties. They both helped their dynasty thrive, and succeed. Both of them focus on influencing people to be good citizens, and obedience. They were both developed by well-known philosophers. These philosophers helped in part to inspire each other.