Shang jun shu full text database, fully browsable and searchable online. The book of lord shang is a work that helped develop the doctrine of legalism from insights of shang yang and others who participated in chinese affairs. Yuri pines compiled in china in the fourththird centuries bce, the book of lord shang argues for a new powerful government to rule over society. In yuri piness translation, shangs intellectual boldness and. The book of lord shang a classic of the chinese school. Alternatively, it is possible that the distinction being made in the two appearances of the same term in both passages. The book of lord shang by yang shang free ebooks download.
The book of lord shang is one of the classics of chinese legalism. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. For his services, shang yang was rewarded with a fief of 15 cities in shang modern shensi, from which his names lord shang and shang yang are derived. Shang yang believed that the integrity of a state could be maintained only with power and that power. Apologetics of state power in early china, by shang yang and translated by yuri pines. The book of lord shang apologetics of state power in early china by yang shang and publisher columbia university press perseus. Shang yang was then charged with plotting rebellion and forced to flee. Download the audiobook version of book of lord shang by shang yang today. The shangjunshu book of lord shang, also called shangzi master shang or shangjun lord shang, was written by gongsun yang or wei yang, the lord of shang 390338 bce, a title which also gave him the name shang yang, by which he is commonly known today. The book of lord shang, shang jun shu is one of the most important and wellknown texts of legalist chinese philosophy. Lord shang died 338 bc shang yang gongsun yang is one of the most controversial and influential statesmen from the ancient period. Legalism asserts that human behavior must be controlled through written law rather than through ritual, custom or ethics because people are innately.
The book of lord shang, shang jun shu is the most important and wellknown text of the legalist school of chinese philosophy. These texts are anything but armchair strategy or ivorytower speculation. It epitomizes the ideology of chinas socalled legalist school of. The book of lord shang was an early legalist work generally attributed to the eponymous lord shang. The ideology of the shangjun shu book of lord shang revisited yuri pines oe 55 2016 the shangjun shu book of lord shang occupies an odd place in studies of early chinese political thought. Thebook of lord shangshangjunshu is one of the most importantand least studiedtexts of the formative age of chinese philosophy and political culture, the socalled age of the hundred schools of thought fifththird centuries b. The book of lord shang the official schoolgirl milky. Pdf the art of war the book of lord shang download full. Shang jun shu is an ancient chinese text from the 3rd century bc, regarded as a foundational work of.
They have been immensely influential both inside and outside china. Shang quotes an excerpt about pursuing the enemy in battle that he claims is from the art of war but that never in fact appears in that book fair for its day. A classic of the chinese school of law english, chinese and chinese edition book by yang shang. Duke hsiao died in 338, and his successor was the crown prince whom shang yang had punished earlier. Along with the han feitzu, it is one of the two principal sources of legalism, a school of chinese political thought. Since the han dynasty, the infamous instigator of the qin states brutal, coercive policies has been a bugbear for chinese historians. The book of lord shang, by yang shang introduction by. Legalism asserts that human behavior must be controlled through written law, rather than ritual, custom or ethics, because people are innately selfish and ignorant. Shang yang, chinese statesman and thinker whose successful reorganization of the state of qin paved the way for the eventual unification of the chinese empire by the qin dynasty 221207 bce.
Legalism asserts that human behavior must be controlled through written law, rather than ritual, custom or ethics, because people are innately selfish. The book of lord shang is attributed to the political theorist shang yang and his followers. This awesome book ready for download, you can get this book now for free. It is attributed to kungsan yang, chief minister of the state of chin on the. Lipson professor of asian studies at the hebrew university of jerusalem. The book of lord shang teaches that laws are designed to maintain the stability of the state from the people, who are innately selfish and ignorant. It epitomizes the ideology of chinas socalled legalist school of thought. This book, as well as the book of lord shang, preceded machiavellis captivating masterpiece, il principe, by nearly 2000 years i have to confess that i almost completely forget il principes contents, but i still remember that it was a captivating read.
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. Full text of the book of lord shang internet archive. Pdf, epubs, mobi, emagazines, epaper, ejournal and more. It was written over a period of about 100 years during the warring states period, lasting roughly 400 bc to 200 bc. The book of lord shang shang yang the book of lord shang was an early legalist work generally attributed to the eponymous lord shang. Yang shang the book of lord shang is considered a classic of the school of law, one of the six great chinese schools of thought. Apologetics of state power in early china edited and translated by yuri pines. Selected document excerpt with questions from sources of chinese tradition, compiled by wm.
On the one hand, its putative author, shang yang d. It is one of the major works of the highly pragmatic and authoritarian legalist school of chinese philosophy. In lord shangs time, china had been in nearcontinuous war ever since the zhou dynasty began to weaken in the 8th century bc, leaving its vassal states free to cannibalize each other. In the ninety years since the works previous translation, major breakthroughs in studies of the books dating and context have recast our understanding of its messages. The shangjunshu book of lord shang, also called shangzi master shang or shangjun lord shang, was written by gongsun yang or. The book of lord shang a classic of the chinese school of law by. The book of lord shang by shang yang nook book ebook. They are serious, urgent and practical responses to the desperate situations in which they were written. Thebook of lord shangshangjunshu is one of the most importantand least studiedtexts of the formative age of chinese philosophy and political. It was lord shang, so the story goes, who so heartlessly threw away the chivalrous ideals of the zhou dynasty, masterminding a fascist state on a permanent war footing, an. The book of lord shang is a political treatise for the instruction of rulers.
Confucian orthodoxy presents him as an extremely brutal and central figure in the pantheon of legalist thinkers whom in general, they portray in extremely negative terms. Avaliable format in pdf, epub, mobi, kindle, ebook and audiobook. The selection below, from the book of lord shang shangjun shu indicates some of the thinking that lay at the basis of lord shangs policies. Along with the han feitzu, it is one of the two principal sources of. Read the introduction to the abridged edition to the book of lord shang.