Eastern Philosophy · China & Japan
Legalism & Han Feizi
China's hard-power philosophy: Shang Yang's reforms in Qin, Han Feizi's law, technique and positional power, the unification of 221 BC, and why later dynasties were 'Confucian outside, Legalist inside'.
Step 1 of 4 · Overview25 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: Mencius & Xunzi. Next: Qin Shi Huang; Machiavelli (compare). Sources: *Han Feizi: Basic Writings*, trans. Burton Watson (2003); Yuri Pines, 'Legalism in Chinese Philosophy', *Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*.Next: 1. The three tools