The Confucian case against government by law, and the reason the tradition set li, ritual propriety, above legal penalty. It is the direct answer to the Legalist position that later won the argument politically under the Qin. Book and chapter numbering follows Legge's printed division; the e-text carries no numerals.
Facts
Passage
TextThe Master said, "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." 1 ReferenceAnalects 2:3 (Legge numbering) 1 Reference SchemeCollection, Book, Section 1 Translation
TranslationThe Chinese Classics, vol. 1: Confucian Analects 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.