Why Ancient Chinese Political Thought Matters: Four Dialogues on Chinas Past, Present, and Future

ISBN: 0691279802

Author: Bell, Daniel A.

Condition: New

An entertaining introduction to ancient Chinese thinkers-and what they can teach us about todays most pressing political questions in China and beyondChinas most original, diverse, and fascinating political debates took place more than two millennia ago, but they have profoundly shaped Chinese political thinking and practice ever since and, remarkably, their influence on the countrys leaders is only growing today. Yet these timeless debates-which are very likely to influence the answers to such questions as whether China should use military force to take control of Taiwan-are still far too little understood in the West. In this enlightening and entertaining book, Daniel Bell, a leading expert on Chinese political thought, takes the greatest thinkers from Chinas past-Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Shang Yang, Han Feizi, Zhuangzi, and Mozi-and puts them in dialogue with each other in modern settings. The result is a creative and engaging introduction to ancient Chinese political thought that reveals its relevance to the future of China and the rest of the world.Before Chinas unification in 221 BCE, the brilliant political thinkers who founded Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, and Mohism roamed from state to state, argued with each other, and tried to persuade rulers to follow their ideas. Bell draws on their debates-about such perennial issues as war, corruption, government involvement in family life, and whether the state should subsidize culture-to create vivid imaginative dialogues about important contemporary social and political controversies.Chinas political thinking is rooted in its past. Understanding what ancient Chinese political thought can teach us about todays critical debates is essential to understanding the future of China and the world.