Comparative Study Of “Encouraging Learning” Of Confucianism And Legalism In The Pre-Qin Period

In traditional China,“encouraging learning” is an ancient proposition.China has the tradition of “ruling the world with learning” and believes that the country can be managed well artificially with “teaching” and “learning”.Therefore,“encouraging learning” should not limit to “persuading learning” and advised scholars usually hope to promote political ideas and ethics to the audience with the “encouraging learning” opportunity and expand the camp of existing followers with this opportunity,making their own thoughts become the consensus of the society and then establish ideology based on own thought theory in the whole society.Therefore,before the appearance of “Taoism” in Song Dynasty,“encouraging learning” appeared on Chinese historical stage in the form of political culture.The Confucianism and Legalism of pre-Qin period take “morality” and “governance” as the content of “encouraging learning” respectively and make “encouraging learning” practice among politicians and common people.Confucian scholars are good at metaphor,making metaphors with life common sense and human nature,then explain the truth in a popular and easy to understand way and make the “encouraging learning” of Confucianism achieve better effect in scholar level;while the legalism scholars are good at historical narration,interact historical narration with “historical belief” of people in pre-Qin period,which makes the practice of encouraging learning more successful in monarch level.“Historical belief” was confirmed in Pre-Qin.Both the “encouraging learning” practice of Confucianism and Legalism include numerous historical narrations.Under the function of “historical belief”,the historical narration of Confucianism is not in line with reality,so it has met some setbacks.While the historical narration of Legalism can stand the test of reality,therefore,its historical narration is in line with “historical analogical thinking” of pre-Qin period,which enables legalism becomes the social consensus of the Qin dynasty through “encouraging learning”.The Confucianism firmly believes “people are basically good”,therefore,“teaching” and “learning” are regarded as the administrative act with the most political legitimacy by Confucian scholars;while “torture” and “punishment” are regarded as “immoral” “bad governance”,which have been abandoned.While Legalism takes “history” as the source of political legitimacy and the historical narration of Legalism regards “punishment” and “prevention” as legitimate administrative act under the function of “historical belief” and become the consensus of Qin Dynasty by taking “encouraging learning” as the way of spreading.