Though they are largely considered the great Satans of Chinese history, the group of philosophers and administrators known as the Legalists represent a first in Chinese government: the application of a philosophical system to government. And despite their dismal failure and subsequent demonization throughout posterity, the philosophical and political innovations they practiced had a lasting effect on the nature of Chinese government.





Chinese Philosophy



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Confucius

Mencius
The basic starting point for the early Confucianists (Confucius and Mencius) was that human beings were fundamentally good; every human was born with te , or "moral virtue." The third great Confucianist of antiquity, Hsün Tzu (fl. 298-238 B.C.), believed exactly the opposite, that all human beings were born fundamentally depraved, selfish, greedy, and lustful. However, this was not an entirely dark......

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Title: Legalism
Approximate Word Count: 828
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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