During the Warring States period, society experienced great changes from slavery to feudalism. Jing Tian system, the ruling foundation of slavery, completely collapsed, feudal relations of production were established in various countries, and political reform movements rose in various vassal countries. The centralized politics of feudal landlord class replaced the centralized politics of slave owners. The contention of a hundred schools of thought reflects these great changes in the economic base and superstructure.

The rapid development of feudal economy in the Warring States period provided a material basis for the emergence of "a hundred schools of thought contend". Many fields of natural science were in the leading position in the ancient world, and people's ability to understand and conquer nature was improved, which provided many vivid ideological materials for ancient materialism and simple dialectics.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the rise of private schools has broken the monopoly of slave owners and nobles on education and trained a large number of intellectuals. The feud between princes and social unrest created a social environment for the flow and freedom of thought of intellectuals, enlivened the academic atmosphere in the Warring States period and created a group of people of insight.

During the Warring States period, social changes also prompted changes in class relations and complicated class contradictions and class struggles. Starting from safeguarding the interests of all classes, all classes seek their own spokesmen, express their own political opinions, attack and criticize each other, and establish their own theories. These factors have led to the emergence of the situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend".