arly in Mo Ti's and his followers' ideas the influence of the
changed times. His principle of "universal love" reflects the breakdown
of the clans and the general weakening of family bonds which had taken
place. His ideal of social organization resembles organizations of
merchants and craftsmen which we know only of later periods. His stress
upon frugality, too, reflects a line of thought which is typical of
businessmen. The rationality which can also be seen in his metaphysical
ideas and which has induced modern Chinese scholars to call him an early
materialist is fitting to an age in which a developing money economy and
expanding trade required a cool, logical approach to the affairs of this
world.

A similar mentality can be seen in another school which appeared from
the fifth century B.C. on, the "dialecticians". Here are a number of
names to mention: the most important are Kung-sun Lung and Hui Tzu, who
are comparable with the ancient Greek dialecticians and Sophists. They
saw their main task in the development of logic. Since, as we have
mentioned, many "scholars" journeyed from one princely court to another,
and other people came forward, each recommending his own method to the
prince for the increase of his power, it was of great importance to be
able to talk convincingly, so as to defeat a rival in a duel of words on
logical grounds.

Unquestionably, however, the most important school of this period was
that of the so-called Legalists, whose most famous representative was
Shang Yang (or Shang Tzu, died 338 B.C.). The supporters of this school
came principally from old princely families that had lost their feudal
possessions, and not from among the so-called scholars. They were people
belonging to the upper class who possessed political experience and now
offered their knowledge to other princes who still reigned. These men
had entirely given up the old conservative traditions of Confucianism;
they were the first to make their peace with the new social order. They
recognized that little or nothing remained of the old upper class of
feudal lords and their following. The last of the feudal lords collected
around the heads of the last remaining princely courts, or lived quietly
on the estates that still remained to them. Such a class, with its moral
and economic strength broken, could no longer lead. The Legalists
recognized, therefore, only the ruler and next to him, as the really
active and responsible man, the