Legalism Response

“A weak people means a strong state and a strong state means a weak people. Therefore, a state that has the right way is concerned with weakening the people. If they are simple they become strong and if they are licentious they become weak. Being weak, they are law-abiding; being licentious, they let their ambition go too far; being weak; they are serviceable, but if they let their ambition go too far, they will become strong…” The Guanzi on Weakening the People

A Legalist society strives for a strong state and central authority. While history has proven that, in practice, legalism is effective in creating a strong state, its oppressive nature is intolerable.
The way The Guanzi is worded implies that the only way a state can be strong is if the people are “serviceable” and “simple” or ignorant. They should be without ambition and individually weak. By my standards, this is a pointless existence. A Legalist society doesn’t work towards a goal or work together at all. The government relies on the ignorance of oppressed workers to support and promote its wealth. This allows the government officials the benefits of the worker’s labor, while the workers are barely allowed to exist. It seems as if this government is perfectly structured for corruption and extortion. Legalism seems to be idealistic in a tyrannical way as well. If its theories were applied to an ignorant society, some of its goals may be achieved but all these theories seem to rely on an inherent weakness and inevitable ignorance of the people, yet oppression, while is it not mentioned, is clearly the way in which that weakness and ignorance is gained. While in the context of the philosophy, most of the beliefs and theories make sense; from an outside perspective it’s radical to a dangerous extreme.
Legalism and Confucianism share some common principles but on whole they couldn’t be more opposite. Both philosophies view respect and obedience as paramount but they ways in which they describe how it should be attained are entirely different. Respect in a Confucian society would be earned due to filial piety and a natural appreciation. Respect and obedience in a Legalist society would be earned through fear of extreme punishment, impartiality, and most of all, ignorance. The way The Guanzi is worded points the reader to the conclusion that Legalist societies are governed by a few powerful and hypocritical intellectuals who rely on masses of workers to further them and the state they represent and run, but doesn’t criticize that fact. This may achieve a goal of expansion and government wealth but if the majority of the people are uneducated and without ambition, how can a society so simple advance over time?