Seeking Authoritative Moral Foundations (A Study of Moral Governance Thought in the Early Han Dynasty)

Author: Yu Shu Gui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Based on a comprehensive review of previous research, this book clearly focuses on the process by which the ruling group in the early Han Dynasty selected political, economic, and cultural policies. Building on an analysis of the process of selecting political, economic, and cultural policies by the ruling group in the early Han Dynasty, the book argues that as early as the transition period between the Yin and Zhou dynasties, the Duke of Zhou, through reflection on the historical fact of the Zhou Dynasty replacing the Yin Dynasty, proposed the interactive relationship among "Heaven," "Ruler," and "People." The book is divided into four chapters. Chapter one first argues from a macro perspective the historical inevitability of benevolent governance in the early Han Dynasty. Chapter two traces the theoretical resources of benevolent governance in the early Han Dynasty. Chapter three outlines the developmental process of benevolent governance thought in the early Han Dynasty. Chapter four provides a contemporary evaluation of several important policies in the early Han Dynasty. The conclusion discusses the critical inheritance of traditional benevolent governance thought in modern political civilization, primarily focusing on the "governing with virtue" strategy. The author argues that the "governing with virtue" strategy inherently contains three aspects: (1) the moral integrity of administrative systems; (2) the servitude of government officials; (3) the conscientiousness of social members.