Legalism (Chinese philosophy)

Legalism is an intellectual, political and philosophical tradition that emerged during the Warring States period of ancient China. Its adherents held a largely pessimistic view of human nature, seeing most people, or at least the ruling elite, as fundamentally self interested, and argued that a strong state needed uniform laws applied equally, clear administrative methods, and strict regulations rather than reliance on virtue or ritual. Legalist thinkers prioritized strengthening agriculture and the military as the central concern of the state and favored reducing the power of the hereditary aristocracy in favor of a merit based bureaucracy. Legalism supplied the governing philosophy of the Qin dynasty and left a lasting mark on the legal and administrative structure of the Chinese imperial state. Its earliest surviving foundational text is The Book of Lord Shang, already catalogued in this family as a philosophy atlas literary work. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/