History Literature / TheBookOfLordShang

''The Book of Lord Shang'' (商君书, ''Shāng Jūn Shū'') is one of the most important and well-known texts of Legalist Chinese philosophy. It was written over a period of about 100 years during the Warring States Period, lasting roughly 400 BC to 221 BC (when Qin established the first Chinese empire). Though it is traditionally attributed to Shang Yang, and he does indeed appear to have written ''part'' of it, the last few chapters refer to people and events which didn't occur until after his death.

%%* WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons: The authors didn't just invoke this, they intended to ''enforce'' it.

* WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons: The authors didn't just invoke this, they intended to ''enforce'' it.
* WrittenByTheWinners: The reputation of Shang is mostly coloured by his opponents who survived him, and tearing apart the content of his treaty was a favourite past-time of Confucian scholars for the next ''two millennia''. This obviously affects the sort of reputation both gained over said millenia, as if the content of the treaty wasn't contentious already.

* SillyReasonForWar: Shang advises that the army should be at war as much as possible to prevent the soldiers falling victim to such "parasites" as virtue and care for the elderly.
* SinsOfOurFathers: Since it is more important for law enforcers to obey the law than anyone else, it is advised that if they break it, then their children should be punished as well.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Shang's laws were [[FascistButInefficient brutal and ultimately inefficient]], he did make some good points about the virtues of meritocracy, and the need for innovation over blind adherence to old traditions. ([[TheHypocrite Though it should be noted that he wanted the people to blindly adhere to the new traditions he proposed]].) The biggest issue with his philosophy isn't so much that he was ''wrong'' per se, but rather that it is completely inapplicable to any country that isn't embroiled in constant warfare and internal decay (or is simply big).
* MachiavelliWasWrong: The book as a whole, and to some extent Legalism, faced a reality check of just how in practice the system works when imposed to all of China. Namely - a FullCircleRevolution.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Intended to make the penalties of lesser crimes so horrible that no one would even contemplate greater crimes. Backfired when tried by the Qin dynasty, where it just created a huge mass of men who suddenly had nothing to lose in backing a rebellion. [[AllCrimesAreEqual There isn't really a way to top gruesome death as a punishment.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Shang Yang met his end under a punishment that he himself formulated into Qin law, one reserved for law enforcers who broke the law themselves, when he ended up being accused of treason by the new king of Qin (in revenge for the abuse Shang heaped on King Huiwen and his tutor back when King Huiwen was still the heir to his father's dukedom) and Shang and his entire family were sentenced to death. And even better, when he tried to hide out in a hotel to escape the above fate, he was refused, as the strict laws he had enacted in Qin while in power made it illegal for a hotel owner to admit a guest without proper identification. He was later caught, followed by drawing and quartering by chariot.

* HobbesWasRight: Shang was a firm believer in the notion that people were bastards that could only be kept in line with an iron hand. Ironically, he was executed over personal and petty grudge the new king had against him.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While Shang's laws were [[FascistButInefficient brutal and ultimately inefficient]], he did make some good points about the virtues of meritocracy, and the need for innovation over blind adherence to old traditions. ([[TheHypocrite Though it should be noted that he wanted the people to blindly adhere to the new traditions he proposed]].) The biggest issue with his philosophy isn't so much that he was ''wrong'' per se, but rather that it is completely inapplicable to any country that isn't embroiled in constant warfare and internal decay.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The extent of meritocracy Lord Sheng suggested means that the ruler might be hereditary, but he sure as hell should be a proactive politician, good manager and supreme commander of his armies (but maybe not a FrontlineGeneral). This is in ''sharp'' contrast with both Daoism and Confucianism, where the ruler should merely ''exist'' and let things flow on their own in accordance with the concept of ''wu wei''. Given how Qin turned from a fringe, frontier backwater to the unifier of China within ''a single century'' might have something to do with this sort of mindset.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The extent of meritocracy Lord Sheng suggested means that the ruler might be hereditary, but he sure as hell should be a proactive politician, good manager and supreme commander of his armies (but maybe not a FrontlineGeneral). This is in ''sharp'' contrast with both Daoism and Confucianism, where the ruler should merely ''exist'' and let things flow on their own in accordance with the concept of wu wei. Given how Qin turned from a fringe, frontier backwater to the unifier of China within ''a single century'' might have something to do with this sort of mindset.

''The Book of Lord Shang'' (商君书, ''Shāng Jūn Shū'') is one of the most important and well-known texts of Legalist Chinese philosophy. It was written over a period of about 100 years during the Warring States Period, lasting roughly 400 BC to 200 BC. Though it is traditionally attributed to Shang Yang, and he does indeed appear to have written ''part'' of it, the last few chapters refer to people and events which didn't occur until after his death.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The extent of meritocracy Lord Sheng suggested means that the ruler might be hereditary, but he sure as hell should be a proactive politician, good manager and supreme commander of his armies (but maybe not a FrontlineGeneral). This is in ''sharp'' contrast with both Daoism and Confucianism, where the ruler should merely ''exist'' and let things flow on their own in accordance with the concept wu wei. Given how Qin turned from a fringe, frontier backwater to the unifier of China within ''a single century'' might have something to do with this sort of mindset.

* BadassBureaucrat: You need [[VastBureaucracy a whole lot of those]] to keep enforcing all the orders and laws Lord Shang propose, and the text constantly stress out the importance of the merit, rather than birth or connections as the way to select those. However, as history have shown, they very quickly turn into {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s when they no longer have to whip people into either military mobilisation or at least some PointlessCivicProject.

* MachiavelliWasWrong: The book as a whole, and to some extent Legalism, faced a reality check of just how in practice the system works when imposed to all of China - a FullCircleRevolution.

* WrittenByTheWinners: The reputation of Shang is mostly coloured by his opponents who survived him, and tearing apart the content of his treaty was a favourite past-time of Confucian scholars for the next ''two millennia''. This obviously affects the sort of reputation both gained over said millenia.
* YesMan: Repeatedly warned against.