Shang Yang's political reform was a thorough reform movement in all countries at that time, and cultural and educational reform was one of the contents of Shang Yang's political reform. Shang Yang's cultural and educational thoughts were diametrically opposed to Confucianism at that time. He accused Confucianism of being a louse. He said: "Rites and music", "poetry and calligraphy", "benevolence and righteousness", "cultivation of goodness" and "filial piety" are all things that harm the country and the people. If we use these retro dogmas to govern the country, we will "attack the enemy without being poor" (agricultural war), and the land will be occupied when the enemy comes; If the enemy does not come, the country will be poor. At the same time, the slave owners, nobles and Confucian scholars who "eat without eating, be proud without fighting, respect without respecting" (painting strategy) are "people" It must be removed quickly. When they used "poems" and "books" as public opinion tools to learn from the scriptures in an attempt to carry out opposition activities, Shang Yang insisted on "burning poems and writing books to show the law" (Han Feizi? And ") means to strike and suppress them. From the standpoint of the emerging landlord class, Shang Yang paid special attention to cultivating innovative political talents for the emerging landlord class. He put forward: "It is forbidden for the people who travel to the official to show it to the people who fight" ("Han Feizi? And "). The so-called "prodigal son" mainly refers to those Confucian scholars who are full of decadent and conservative ideas and some foodies. They are idle and idle, and Shang Yang thinks it must be banned and cracked down. The "cultivators" that Shang Yang wanted to cultivate and promote were the people who made practical contributions to the emerging landlord class in the feudal merger war and feudal economic development. Shang Yang believes that such innovators must be boldly cultivated, promoted and appointed in accordance with the principles of "letting them do their best, not their virtues" and "being an official must rely on their strengths".
In terms of educational content, Shang Yang opposed Confucianism to educate students with "rites, music, poems and books" and instilled moral principles such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom in students. He thinks that "Confucianism" is just some "rhetoric and false arguments" and unrealistic "floating learning". In order to cultivate "land to the tiller" and talents ruled by law, Shang Yang advocated studying law and practical knowledge useful to the tiller. He put forward the educational program of "one education". The essence of "one religion" is to carry out unified education for the emerging landlord class, and its main content is to unify people's thoughts with the laws and policies of the emerging landlord class. Shang Yang thought: "Teach and listen" (reward and punishment). He emphasized: "The life of the people is also the foundation of governance" ("Capital Distribution"). It is clearly pointed out that "law" is the life of the landlord class and the foundation of governing the country, and it is necessary to strengthen the education of "rule of law" for the people. "If you don't speak French, you won't listen; Those who do not practice the law are not high; If you don't practice law, you're not doing it for yourself "(Jun Chen). That is, if it does not conform to the law, it will not listen; Do not praise acts that do not comply with laws and regulations; Don't do anything that is against the law. All words and deeds must be based on the "law" of the emerging landlord class. In order to carry out the "rule of law" education, Shang Yang practiced the principle of "putting officials in charge of the law and taking the world as a teacher" ("dividing points"), and put the power of education in the hands of officials of the emerging landlord class. If the "chief magistrate" moves or dies, he will immediately send his successor to "learn to read the imperial edict", which shows that Shang Yang attaches great importance to establishing the leading position of legalists in education. In order to strengthen and consolidate the dictatorship of the landlord class, Shang Yang emphasized the "rule of law" education, but he ignored the special role of schools in education, canceled the teaching of professional teachers and cultural knowledge, and violated the objective law of the development of cultural education. It is also a great mistake for him to adopt a simple and rude policy of completely destroying the old culture. In order to make Qin rich and strong, Shang Yang regarded agricultural war as the key to governing the country. He rewarded agricultural warfare and advocated strengthening agricultural warfare education. He said: "my fatwa: those who want profit should not plow;" Those who avoid harm must fight (the law of abstinence).
In terms of educational methods, Shang Yang attached importance to cultivating and increasing talents in practical struggles through agricultural wars. I believe that people's intelligence grows up in long-term management. These all have simple materialistic ideas. However, due to the limitations of the times and classes, his policy of teaching "law" and rewarding "agricultural warfare" contains oppression and exploitation of working people.
Han Fei summed up the historical experience and lessons of class struggle in the early and middle Warring States period. "Confucianism confuses the law with literature, chivalrous people use force to prohibit it, and people are both masters" (five mistakes) is an important reason for the disaster. And that the "private school" and the rulers at that time were "ambivalent". This "private school" is a stumbling block for the new landlord class to implement the "rule of law". Therefore, he categorically advocated taking measures such as "banning its activities", "breaking its league" and "dissolving its party", that is, prohibiting the freedom of movement and freedom of speech and association of private schools.
Han Fei severely criticized and attacked other schools besides Legalism, especially Confucianism, which had the greatest influence at that time. He denounced the Confucian dogma of "courtesy, happiness, poetry and calligraphy" and the moral principles of "benevolence, righteousness, filial piety" as "the study of folly and falsehood", "the teaching of poor countries" and "the words of national subjugation", which were the fundamental reasons for the country's poverty, weakness and even national subjugation. In Han Fei's view, the theories of other schools are contradictory, which can only cause people's ideological confusion. If the rulers listen to their opinions at the same time, it will inevitably lead to chaos. Therefore, Han Fei argues that all these contradictory theories can only confuse people and legalists should be respected. In particular, we should prevent ordinary people from being influenced by the thoughts of schools other than Legalists and strictly control their thoughts.
Under the historical conditions at that time, Han Fei's legalist thought represented the interests of the radicals in the emerging landlord class. This is a progressive trend of thought, which has played an important role in establishing a unified political power for the landlord class. However, Han Fei's legalist thought also reflects the reactionary side of the landlord class, that is, the foolish policy of controlling the working people by thought. Han Fei's cultural absolutism is extremely unfavorable to the development of cultural education and the prosperity of academic schools.
Han Fei advocates cultivating "people with wisdom and skills" or "people who can practice the law" (lonely and angry). These "intelligent people" are innovative people who understand and resolutely implement the rule of law, and they are fighters who actively support and fight for the policy of "combining agriculture with combat". Han Fei elaborated on the qualities and abilities that "a person with wisdom, skill and ability to learn the law" must possess. Such an innovator must be loyal to the feudal monarch, be able to "get rid of private pleasures and value public law", "talk privately with one's mouth and look privately with one's eyes" (the golden mean), and serve the feudal country wholeheartedly. This kind of innovator should have the qualities of "foresight" and "strong honest and frank" (Lonely Anger). In other words, he should have a progressive view of history and reform ideas in his mind; Have a keen observation of politics; Strong perseverance and straightforward quality in firmly implementing the rule of law. In order to make the thought of "rule of law" occupy a dominant position in the ideological field, Han Fei inherited and developed the spirit and measures of Shang Yang's "one religion", and thought that in China, the speaker should obey the law, that is, everyone's thoughts and speeches should conform to the spirit of Legalism and abide by the laws of the country. Under the guidance of this thought, Han Fei put forward the famous legalist education program. He said: "Therefore, in the kingdom of the Lord, there are no simple words, and the law is doctrine; Without the words of the former king, take the official as the teacher "("Wu Zhu "). The essence of the so-called "writing without books" and "words without ancient kings" is to abolish and liquidate the cultural classics and moral preaching of ancient slavery, especially the things such as "rites, music, poems and books", "benevolence, filial piety and filial piety" advocated by Confucianism, so as to realize his "legal education" thought.