Due to their emphasis on severe punishment and advocating respect to monarchs, legalists school has long been criticized. However, if we look at this issue from the perspective of “governance of the country”, we can have a to-tally different view of legalists’ emphasis on rewards and punishments, and can find the positive roles that legalists school can play in governing and strengthening the country. Emphasis on rewards and punishments, the intervention of disputes and the enacting of laws have become important measures for legalists to realize the governance of the country. Since modern China, new legalists school has emerged and attached much importance to modern rules of governance. Though they have not formed the idea of “owning and governing by people”, they have achieved a lot on this issue.%法家思想因主张重刑和力倡尊君，历来受到诟病。从“国家治理”的角度，可以对法家厚赏重刑做出新的解释，同时也可以发现法家思想在实现“国治”、“国强”中的积极作用。厚赏重罚、定分止争、广布法律等成为法家实现国治的重要方式。近代以来，同样着眼于国家富强与“良治”，新法家思想兴起，并开始趋向平等、民权等现代法治原则。尽管近代新法家尚未形成人民主权的法治观，但其在反思中不断更进，体现出法家思想的适应性及生命力，这也足以使其成为法治中国的思想资源。
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