Question

The Chinese philosophy of Legalism argued that strict laws and severe punishments were necessary to maintain social order.

Answer 1

Legalism was a philosophy emphasizing strict obedience to the legal system. It was one of the main philosophical currents during the Warring States period. It was a utilitarian political philosophy that did not address higher questions like the purpose and nature of life. The school's most famous proponent and contributor Han Fei believed that a ruler should use the following three tools to govern his subjects:

'Fa' (Chinese: 法, p 'fǎ', lit. 'law'): The law code must be clearly written and made public. All people under the ruler were equal before the law. Laws should reward those who obey them and punish accordingly those who dare to break them. Thus it is guaranteed that actions taken are systematically predictable. In addition, the system of law, not the ruler, ran the state, a statement of rule of law. If the law is successfully enforced, even a weak ruler will be strong.
'Shu' (術, p 'shù', lit. 'method'): Special tactics and 'secrets' are to be employed by the ruler to make sure others don't take over control of the state. Especially important is that no one can fathom the ruler's motivations, and thus no one can know which behavior might help them get ahead, other than following the laws.
'Shi' (勢, p 'shì', lit.'legitimacy'): It is the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself, that holds the power. Therefore, analysis of the trends, the context, and the facts are essential for a real ruler.