Thematic Discussions On The Study Of The Book Of Lord Shang

The study of the text of The Book of Lord Shang mainly includes two major aspects of the annotation and compilation of the book.With regard to the annotation of The Book of Lord Shang,many difficult words in the book have been better explained by the previous commentaries,but there are still points that can be discussed.For example,the word"轻赏"in the chapter去强means to reduce the reward and not to reward without restraint.The phrase"以五里断者王,以十里断者强"in靳令should be corrected to"以五里断者强,以十里断者弱".The understanding of the compilation of The Book of Lord Shang has gradually shifted from the identification of authenticity to the examination of the timing of the book’s writing,and the specific analysis of specific chapters has become a consensus.Although there are different analyses of the time of writing,the main focus is on the period from the Duke Xiao of Qin to the First Emperor of Qin,and the group of authors is basically determined in the"Shang Yang school",which was composed of Shang Yang and his students and disciples.Among the many methods to examine the writing time of The Book of Lord Shang,only the most solid and credible are identified according to the titles,events and systems that appear in the book after the death of Shang Yang,while other methods are one-sided,arbitrary and other shortcomings,and can only be used as an aid or reference.Most of the summaries of its theoretical foundations of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang focus on the issue of conception of history and the theory of human nature in the book.There is disagreement about the nature of its conception of history,whether it is an evolutionary view of history or not.In fact,the purpose of the book’s descriptions of social characteristics in different historical periods is to illustrate that "the way of doing things should change with the world",and there is no need to characterize them in terms of evolution or not.Regarding its the theory of human nature,there are many different opinions,such as the view that human nature to avoid harm,the view that human nature is self-interested,the view that human nature is evil,the view that human nature is neither good nor evil,the view that human nature changes.However,the book does not make a clear distinction between good and evil in human nature,and its starting point for exploring human nature is merely to use it as a basis for policy making.As for the essential attributes of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang,there are different understandings of whether the rule of law or the rule of man,the people-oriented or the supremacy of the monarchy.In fact,the "rule of law" advocated in The Book of Lord Shang is still essentially the rule of man,the dictatorship of the monarch.The Book of Lord Shang strongly advocates respecting the ruler and suppressing the people,and weakening the people and fooling them,and there is no such thing as "people-oriented" thinking.In terms of the governance mode and the relationship between the sovereign and the people,the monarch in The Book of Lord Shang is the supreme ruler of the state,with absolute power and the fundamental ownership of all rights and interests,and the autocratic attribute of its thought is beyond doubt.The excavation of the thought content of The Book of Lord Shang is almost exhausted,and there are not only various topics of thought,but also the interpretation of the topics of thought such as rule of law,agriculture and war,politics,economy and military,which the main contents of the book,is more comprehensive and detailed.The understanding and evaluation of its thoughts keep pace with the times.The following problems are worth noting in the current study of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang.Firstly,to clarify the autocratic attribute of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang is the fundamental position that should be adhered in the study of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang.Secondly,the practical reference significance of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang should not be exaggerated.Thirdly,the sorting out of the evolution of the thought of The Book of Lord Shang should be based on the clarification of the writing time sequence of each at least related chapters in the book.There are some simple differences in language or expression in the book that should not rise to the level of development and change of thought.Some opinions on the interpretation of the thought content of The Book of Lord Shang need to be further corrected and supplemented.For example,the"政胜"in the phrase"凡战法必本于政胜"in the chapter of战法is an abbreviation of"政胜其民",which should not be understood as"political victory is the basis of war victory".The principle of rewards in The Book of Lord Shang has always been"little"but"heavy",that is,not to reward without restraint,but to give heavy rewards if they are to be given.The Book of Lord Shang is closely related to Qin,and people have used it to study Qin history mainly to explore the Qin system and the rise and fall of Qin.It is widely believed that the thought in The Book of Lord Shang or its basic spirit were practiced in Qin and transformed into the ruling philosophy or political system of Qin,the most representative being the legal system,the title system,and the household registration system.There is a consensus that Shang Yang’s thought of governance contributed to Qin’s wealth and power,but it is controversial whether Qin’s quick demise was also due to the practice of the ideas of the Legalists.According to the current situation of using The Book of Lord Shang to study the history of Qin,there is still room for further exploration of the Qin historical materials in The Book of Lord Shang.Its thought of "rule of law" laid the foundation for the Qin way of ruling the country by law and provided the institutional support for the implementation of "rule of law" in Qin.Its general principle of emphasizing agriculture and warfare and the system of awarding titles for military merit were implemented in Qin,which not only promoted the development of Qin agriculture and laid the material foundation for Qin’s power,but also enhanced the fighting strength of Qin’s army and accelerated the pace of Qin’s foreign wars and the process of unification.The dozen or so official positions seen in the book also enrich and deepen our understanding of the Qin official system.