Comparing Confucianism And Legalism In China

In the Chinese Warring States Period (475~221 B.C.) several Chinese thinkers emerged due to the unsettling instability and change that surrounded China. Both Confucianism and Legalism emerged during the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought (6th century~221 B.C.) to debate several philosophical questions in order to centralize China such as: What should human beings accomplish? How should society be organized? Who has the authority to rule? However, both Confucianism and Legalism were different as they had different ideas on what was important. While Confucianists were reinforcing the early Zhou idealism of ancestral worship and the systematic rituals in families and the government, Legalists were more focused on agricultural production, increasing commerce, and supplying the army all economic sources
Furthermore, the ideas in Legalism was more pragmatic compared to Confucianism. It had a system based on rewards and consequences to form a powerful state, and did not include any Confucian values such as contentment and inner peace. It is also clear that Legalism was more effective in ruling a state as the Qin Dynasty (governed by Legalists) was the first to create a centralized empire, introduce provinces which still exist in modern China, finish building the Great Wall of China, produce a simplified and standardized written language, and spread military influence beyond China. On the other hand, although emperors both before and after the Qin Dynasty adapted Confucian principles to their political practices, Confucius himself was never able to implement his teachings into the government system during his lifetime, as his idea of virtue did not apply to the war-stricken state. Prior to the Qin Dynasty, the Warring States Period (475~221 B.C.) was evolving as larger states were taking over smaller states, which eventually led to the unification of China. Every state went to find the best political and military advice available during this political