A good Tao emperor, according to Lao-Tzu, is an emperor who governs as little as possible, keeping the natural way, “laissez-faire” the people. The ruler should take care to satisfy the populace because when the people are satisfied, they don’t want to rebel or make wars anymore. If we look at the daoist nature of the emperor we can notice that the emperor was expected to be close to nature. He would expect the same nature from his people as they would spend their lives following their own nature. This was because it was believed that the natural balance should not be put into disorder. It would best interest of people and the state if this balance was maintained by the emperor not interrupting in people’s life.
If we observe the teachings of Daoism a typical Daoist emperor would look like a “practical” person. Execs would not be seen in him. He would be modest at the same time very peaceful.
It can be noticed that there are a lot of similarities between the teachings of Daoism and Confucianism. Their concern towards the people and the way they were expected to deal with them goes quite parallel. Both emperors would mind their own business. They will do their part and let the people lead their lives and follow the lives according to the teachings.
According to the legalist, the role of the emperor is to be straight, rigid, strong, powerful and severe with his people but without make any difference in their station in life. The legalist ideals formed the ideological basis of china’s first imperial dynasty, the Qin, and dealt exclusively with the political power, having no faith in any power higher than that of the state or the Emperor. One of the aspects, according to Shang Yang, that the Good Emperor should concern, is the punishments: if these are too light, in point of fact, crime cannot be eradicated, but when punishments are heavy, people will not dare to do wrong.. But, while considering punishments, the Emperor shall not reward the virtuous, because, he argues, “it is like giving rewards for not stealing”.. The legalist thesis is the human nature is evil and that men are selfish, anarchist and anti-social when left to them self. So the rulers have to take some strong measure to prevent the people of doing evil things. If the ruler is intelligent, he has to give heavy penalty as corporal punishment for small offence, because contrarily to the animal, the human are intelligent so if you punished them hardly for something small, they would be smart enough to do not even try to comment a bigger offence. Moreover, a good legalist leader has to be autocrat, he should not believe in team work.
Han Fei-Tzu suggested seven tactics to the sovereign, four of them clear and straightforward (compare and inspect all available and different theories; punishments must be definite and authority clear: rewards are to be bestowed faithfully; the ruler should listen to all sides of every story) but the last three use deception and manipulation to enhance the power of the ruler, to help him to find out the truth by using indirect methods (issue spurious edicts and pretend to make certain appointments; one may inquire into cases by manipulating different information: words may be inverted and tasks reversed).
The legalist emperor would be hard heated. Whatever he says would be taken seriously. He is very competitive, a strict ruler with high morals and ethics. After observing of the teachings of legalism it can be seen that these teaching are far more different from the teachings of Confucianism and Daoism. Punishments are take seriously in legalism but not in Confucianism and Daoism where there is no concept of punishments. In both confusanisam and Daoism there is no sign of the emperor being very strict. There is no concern for the personal quality of the emperor in legalism where as it is of high regard in confusanisam. A legalist emperor would be good as long he has his people in control.
According to Confucius, a good government exists “when those who are near are made happy and those who are far off are attracted.” Moreover it shouldn’t be led by fear but by virtue and so a good government is a humane government; socialist government who is providing necessary things as food, health and education. The more important is probably education for the people for example by using the rites and music in other words, moral education. By using them side to side, the ruler could transform and complete the nature of his people, they are moral code, principles regulating human relations and norm of conduct. He opposed to tyrannical rule. He encouraged the government of taking care of his people and the government for the people and in consultation with the people was a basic Confucius ideal.But in the other hand he emphasis that the government has to be the function of a specialist ruling group.
Confucius ideals about administration are often shifted between the aspiration of a democratic government in function and in consultation with the people and the need of leave the control of it to a specialist ruling group. In the Confucius government two regular duties imposed for the common people: taxes and corves are reduced as much as possible. And the economy is based on “the economy in expenditure”, free trade, consideration of nature resources and development.
The Confucius government fulfils he needs of the people. Its rule for taxation supports the equal distribution of money. This supports their believe of equal treatment to all the human beings. This then further supports the value of fairness for example that disabled people should deserve much better.
For a government, to be called good of Taoist principles, is necessary to stop from interfering in the lives of people, it has to come back to a state of innocence, simplicity and harmony with the Tao, a state that existed in the most ancient times before the civilization appears to produce the material desires of the people and drive them to conflict and warfare, and before morality was invented to confuse their minds and charm them with vain distinctions.
Lao Tzu said “Tao invariable takes no action and yet there is nothing left undone.” They call it “laissez-faire”. So by “laissez-faire” the government will take a natural and spontaneous way and so no need anymore for hash laws, punishments, conscription and wars.
The Daoist government is similar to the Confucius when it comes to the role of government in terms of education. The only difference is that is laid more stress on learning from nature as a way of education. Similar to Confucianism they believed in a self sufficient economy. Daoist rules were not very strict in order to not to disturb the natural living of people.
According to Guan-Zi, a good legalist government should employ those with skill and use stern punishments and consistent rewards. The main measure that he suggests for the prosperity of a government is the introduction of collective responsibility for crimes, extending it from the member to the head of the family, from them to group leaders, then to clan elders, the village commandant, sub district prefects, the district governor, the chief justice.
Shang Yang wanted the government to be stronger than the people, so that the army will be strong, and the state can attain supremacy however states are in disorder because the law is not applied. A strong government will not allow any serious crimes, deterring people even for small crimes by serious penalties, so that they will not commit major crimes at all.
It was believed that there is no point in educating people because this will make it difficult to control them. The economical policy is to control everything. According to the government, all the people should have occupation benefited for the population like farming or weaving and shouldn’t try to make money with other occupations.
We can see that legalist government was quite different from the other governments mentioned above. They believed in punishing people while confusanisam believed that human beings were born well and there was no need to punish them. A legalist government would control the economy in order to gain power. Power seemed to be their main aim rather then a good living of their people. This was not the case in confusanisam and Daoism as they believed in the well being of there people. Therefore education being for the good of the people was not liked by the legalist government. There was no concern what so ever for the environment by the legalist government.
To conclude it would be very fair to say that it is very hard to decide which type of political system is the best of all the three but there are differences and similarities in all forms of government and the role of emperor.
Bibliography:
Willard G.Oxtoby, Willard. World Religions, Eastern Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996
Wei -Ming, Tu. Confucian Thought. State of New York: State University of New York Press, 1993
Confucius. The Analects. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993
Beck, Sanderson. HISTORY OF ETHICS, Vol.1: To 30 BC: Ancient Wisdom and Folly. World Peace Communications: USA, 1997
, Unknown Author. (16/04/04)
John M. Koller, Asian Philosophies, fourth edition, new jersey 2002
Ding Weng, Understanding Confucius, Beijing: Pando Books, 1997
De Bary, Theodore. Sources of Chinese Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960
Unknown Author (16/04/04)
Ding Weng, Understanding Confucius, ( Beijing: Pando Books, 1997). p 121
Confucius, The Analects, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993). an.num.12/11 p.46
Willard G.Oxtoby, World Religions, Eastern Religions, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). p.405
John M Koller, Asian Philosophies ( New Jersey Fourth Edition, 2002) pg.292
Unknown Author (16/04/04)
Theodore de Bary, Sources of Chinese Tradition, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1960). pg 445
Sanderson Beck, HISTORY OF ETHICS, Vol.1: To 30 BC: (Ancient Wisdom and Folly. World Peace Communications: USA, 1997). chp.2, p.2
Un Known Author (16/04/04)
Teachers Teaching Notes p 36
Teachers Teaching Notes p 64
Teachers Teaching note p 66
Teachers Teaching notes p 69
Tu Wei -Ming, Confucian Thought, (State of New York: State University of New York Press, 1993) p.9
Unknown Author ( 15/04/04)
