Early in Chinese history, a number of political thinkers developed sophisticated arguments for relying on consistent application of laws rather than the personal discretion of political authorities to govern the state. In this episode, we explore the arguments of one of the early pioneers of this way of thinking, Shen Dao 慎到 (c. 350-275 BCE). We are joined by a leading expert on Shen Dao and Chinese Legalism, Eirik Lang Harris. Continue reading →
Category Archives: Law
Workshop on the “Foundations of Justice” in Venice this week
An International Workshop on the “Foundations of Justice: Chinese and Western Perspectives on Law, Ethics and Governance” will be held on 24-25 July at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; please see this poster and this program for more information.
Articles of Interest
Two articles of interest to appear outside of the standard ones we always cover:
- Dong Jiang and Xiaohong Ma, “The Analects and Sense of Justice: The Spirit of Law and Historical Practice” Modern China | Jun 25, 2019 | OnlineFirst
- Julianne Chung, “Is Zhuangzi a Fictionalist?” Philosophers’ Imprint 18:22 (2018)
New Book: Kim, ed., Confucianism, Law and Democracy in Contemporary Korea
Sungmoon Kim, ed., Confucianism, Law and Democracy in Contemporary Korea (Rowman and Littlefield International; CEACOP Series in East Asian Comparative Ethics, Politics and Philosophy of Law) has been published. Congratulations to all involved: it looks terrific!
ChinaFile: Law and Confucianism in Contemporary China
A new CHINAFILE article: “What Does China Mean by ‘Rule of Law’? It’s more Confucianism than constitutionalism.” In my view the worries expressed in this article show all the more clearly why it is important to make clear that modern Confucianism needs to be responsive to the conditions of modernity: seeing law as independent from governmental authority is not “Western,” but good modern (progressive) Confucianism.
Conference 5-6 December in HK on Confucianism, Law, and Politics in Korea
Eirik Harris reports: We’re hosting a conference on “Confucianism, Law, and Politics in Korea: Past and Present” here at CityU that might interest some of the Warp, Weft and Way readers. The Conference poster with list of speakers and topics is here: http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/ceacop/kpcp/conference_poster.jpg
Karen Turner Lecture at Harvard next Friday
Friday, April 5, 2013, 12:00 p.m.
Harvard East Asian Legal Studies Seminar
“Weber’s Distortions of Chinese Law and Religion: A Reassessment of a Lasting Legacy”
Karen Turner, Professor of History, College of the Holy Cross
The Morgan Courtroom, Austin Hall Room 308
New Article on Confucian Virtue Jurisprudence
This article should be of interest to many. (Thanks to Patrick O’Donnell for the pointer!) Comments welcome.
