Legalism (Chinese Philosophy) - Related Philosophies and Concepts

Related Philosophies and Concepts

• Chanakya(c. 370–283 BCE) ,the contemporary Indian teacher, philosopher and royal advisor, who managed the first Maurya emperor Chandragupta rise to power, act as a similar reformer in ancient India and he is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya was authored the ancient Indian political treatise called Arthaśāstra, contemporary with the Book of Lord Shang of Shang Yang, due to which he is considered as the pioneer of the field of economics and political science. As a result, Shang Yang was called the "Chinese Machiavelli" while Chanakya the "Indian Machiavelli". However, Chanakya was traditionally also identified as Kautilya or Vishnugupta.
• Platonism, the concept of a philosopher king in Plato's The Republic, a form of enlightened absolutism or the "benevolent despot", similar to Statism and the concepts advocated by Thomas Hobbes and (arguably) Niccolò Machiavelli.
• Meritocracy, Realism, and Rule of Law are important concepts in Legalism, although they are also important concepts in other, unrelated philosophies.
• Confucianism, Taoism, and Mohism were traditional competing philosophies to Legalism, that rejected many of the concepts advocated by the Legalists.
• Progressivism, Libertarianism, Anarchism, Marxism-Leninism, Agorism, and Classical Liberalism are modern philosophies that reject core elements of Legalism.
• Fascism, autocracy, and totalitarianism are ideologies with similarities to Legalism.
• Zero tolerance, a philosophy of punishment which calls for a rigid and strict set of consequences for infractions (although not necessarily harsh in nature).
• Utilitarianism, Law and Economics, and Conservatism view the law (and its punitive functions) as having deterrent value.