Humane rule over the population advocated by Confucius

Confucius advocated humane rule over the population. To realize this, there should be less taxation on, and less severe penalties on the people, as well as minimal forced labor to be performed; rather, they should be entitled to more welfare. You Ruo, one of Confucius disciples, once suggested to Duke Ai ofthe State of Lu that the state revenue be cut by half, to which the king replied, “I cannot even make do with revenues at the present level. How could I have it further reduced?” You Ruo, however, replied that the sovereign could only have his fortune built on the wealth of the people. lf the people could hardly make ends meet, how could the sovereign? lt was rare to cherish such humanistic ideas at that time.

Though only a quote from You Ruo in The Analects, it undoubtedly reflects the views of Confucius, who opposed exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies, believing these to be even “fiercer than tigers.” He held that, to manage the population, the ruler had to grant them favors and help them in every possible way. Of course, Confucius was well aware that it was impractical for the aristocracy to share their wealth readily with the common folk. For this, he advocated that the aristocrats should look out for endeavors that were lucrative to the people and offer proper guidance to see that the people reaped gain without cost on the part of the aristocracy.