Shang Ying has not been treated well by Chinese intellectuals since ancient times, and one of them is that he is a fool of the people. It is said that Shang Ying made it impossible for ordinary people to read, and they all became illiterate and thoughtless fools. for easy control. In fact, this statement is wrong.
There are indeed many places in the Book of Shang Jun that mention the ban on "poems" and "books", and the crackdown on lobbying. For example, there are "poems", "books", "etiquette", "music", "kindness", "cultivation", "benevolence", "honesty", "debate", and "wisdom". (from "Shang Junshu Agricultural War"). There are also (the ministers of the country, the doctors, the knowledge, the wisdom, the things of the residence, there is nothing to do, there is no way to live in the hundred counties, then the farmers have nothing to hear and change. (from "Shang Junshu Agricultural War"). Does this mean that he is a fool? I said that this is not a foolish people at all, because everyone knows that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when a hundred schools of poetry contended, there were many kinds of thoughts, and they controlled one or several kinds of people, and they could not be called fools. Just like to control a**ism today, can you say that this is a foolish people? So why did Shang Ying control "Poems" and "Books"?
First of all, since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, people have been deeply influenced by the "rule by virtue" with "poems" and "books" as the ideological carriers. The words of the "virtuous man" (aristocracy) also generally affected people. Those aristocrats who were active in various countries, with their sharp teeth and aristocratic status, and the theoretical basis of "poems" and "books", turned the clouds and rain, and became prominent for a while. And Shang Ying's reform of the law harmed the interests of these people. Therefore, in order to make the reform smoothly, Shang Ying's ban on "poems" and "books" must be done. In today's words, Shang Yang is to control the ** orientation. It is better to say that he is a fool of the people, but it is better to say that he wants to unify his thoughts.
Second, it is actually difficult to have a clear standard for the "rule by virtue" advocated by the "poems" and "books." Whether it is the same on the outside or not is more difficult to judge. Therefore, "rule by virtue" is very charming, very good, and very useful, but it is embarrassing to use it to govern the country (this is also the weakness of Confucianism). Just imagine: there is a group of people who are around you all day long, full of benevolence and morality every day, but do not do practical things, which is a disaster for Shang Ying, who pays attention to practical work. No wonder Shang Ying opposed them.
Clause. 3. The so-called "rule by virtue" advocates the "meritocracy system." That is, the nobles in the circle recommend each other to be officials. The Shang Dynasty changed the law and demanded that "knights be awarded with merit and officials with merit", which is also incompatible with the "meritocracy system". This is another reason why Shang Ying banned the ideas of "poems" and "books".
There are many people in later generations who slander Shang Ying. In fact, it is not difficult to understand that since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, many cultural people have advocated Confucian culture with "poems" and "books" as the core, and most of them rely on a pen, and recommending officials is a shortcut to officialdom. So it's easy to understand why they slander Shang Marting.
But it is difficult to find material to slander Shang Ying, because other people's political achievements are there, so I have to put a fool's hat on him. With the pen in their hands, it is more convenient to distort the meaning of a few words. So the Shang Dynasty foolish people also appeared.
It is also said that Shang Dynasty hindered the inheritance of other Chinese ideas. I think this statement is a bit extreme, ideas are the product of the times and regions, and they are also progressive all the time, and the emergence and disappearance are natural laws. It's as ridiculous as you ask black Americans to pass on African ideas.
The above only represents personal views, if you have different opinions, please leave a message in the comment area.