Law and Morality in Ancient China R. P. Peerenboom L a w a n d ^ A o ra lity in A n c i e n t C h i n a SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture David L. Hall and Roger T. Ames, editors L a w and ^ A o ^ a lity i n ?\nc\e,n\ OX\\na The Silk Manuscripts of Huang-Lao R. P. PEERENBOOM State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 1993 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Shite University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Theresa A. Swierzowski Library of Congress Catak>ging-in-Publicatk>n Data Peerenboom, R. P. (Randall P.). 1958- Law and morality in ancient China: the silk manuscripts of Huang· Lao / R. P. Peerenboom. p. cm.—(SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-1237-7. —ISBN 0-7914-1238-5 (pbk.) 1. Huang Lao po shu. 2. Philosophy, Chinese—To221b.c. 3. Law (Philosophy)—Early works to 1800. 4. Taoism—China—Early works to 1800. I. Huang Lao po shu. 1993. II. Title. III. Series. B126.P38 1993 18Γ.11—dc20 91-47541 CIP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Calla ^ o i^ + e K v + s * Preface xi Acknowledgments XV CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 1. The Silk Manuscripts of Huang-Lao X 1.1 Text 6 1.2 Title 7 1.3 Authorship 9 1.4 Dating 12 2. Methodology 19 2.1 Philosophy of Law: A Hermeneutical Framework 20 CHAPTER II THE NATURAL WAY OF HUANG-LAO 27 1. Foundational Naturalism 27 1.1 Huang-Lao Naturalism 28 1.2 Huang-Lao Foundationalism 31 2. The Nature of Nature 41 2.1 Nature as Impersonal 42 2.2 Nature as Constant 43 2.3 Nature as Rule Governed 43 3. The Place of Humans Within the Natural Order 51 3.1 Dao 51 3.2 Xing Ming: Forms and Names 55 3.3 Li: Principle 61 3.4 Fa: Law 61 VII Law and Morality in .Ancient (SKina 4. Following the Way 62 4.1 Naturalist Foundations of Social Institutions 62 4.2 Metaphors of Compliance 64 4.3 Huang-Lao Epistemology 70 CHAPTER HI THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF HUANG-LAO 75 1. Huang-Lao Natural Law Jurisprudence 76 1.1 Rule of Law 76 1.2 Rule of Natural Law 79 2. The Huang-Lao State 84 2.1 Yellow Emperor as Symbol 84 2.2 Centralized Feudal Bureaucracy 92 2.3 Government for the People 98 CHAPTER IV THE ANTHROPOCENTRIC PRAGMATISM OF CONFUCIUS 103 1. General Character of Confucius’s Philosophy 105 1.1 Pragmatic Coherence versus Foundational Correspondence 105 1.2 Pragmatic Coherence and the Logical- Aesthetic Distinction 113 2. Confucius’s Social and Political Philosophy 118 2.1 Jurisprudence 118 2.2 Politics of Harmony 126 2.3 A Huang-Lao Critique 133 CHAPTER V THE PRAGMATIC STATESMANSHIP OF HANFEI 139 1. Han Fei’s Legal Positivism 140 1.1 Rule by Law 140 1.2 Rule by Positive Law 142 2. Han Fei’s Pragmatic Arts of Rulership 153 2.1 The Practical Way of Han Fei 154 2.2 Han Fei’s Legalist State 161 VIII Contents CHAPTER VI THE DAOIST WAYS OF LAO ZI AND ZHUANG ZI 171 1. Lao Zi’s Way 172 1.1 Zhi as Discovery 177 1.2 Dao as Emergent Order 191 2. Zhuang Zi’s Way 197 2.1 Zhi Dao: Realizing an Emergent Order 197 2.2 Zhuang Zi’s Politics of Harmony 20S CHAPTER VH THE EVOLUTION OF HUANG-LAO THOUGHT 217 1. Antecedents 218 1.1 Emergence of Naturalism 218 1.2 Jixia Academy 224 2. Ascendence in the Early Han 242 2.1 Huang-Lao: A Response to the Times 242 2.2 Huang-Lao Policies and Early Han Politics 244 3. The Fall from Power 249 3.1 Court Intrigue 249 3.2 Explaining the Fall 251 4. D6nouement 256 4.1 Huang-Lao and Religious Daoism 256 4.2 Naturalism and Immortality 257 CHAPTER VIII EPILOGUE 263 1. Huang-Lao and Contemporary Philosophy 265 2. Huang-Lao and Contemporary Jurisprudence in the PRC 266 APPENDIX: HE GUAN ZI AND HUANG-LAO THOUGHT 273 Notes 285 Bibliography 355 Index 375 IX