Meritocracy in Early Chinese Political Thought

This Element explores a range of conceptions of politically relevant merit found in the philosophical texts of pre-Qin China.

This Element explores a range of conceptions of politically relevant merit found in the philosophical texts (the Xunzi, the Mozi, the Laozi, and the Han Feizi) of pre-Qin China. It demonstrates both that the role accorded to political merit was substantial and that the ideas of what constituted politically relevant merit were heavily contested.This Element explores a range of conceptions of politically relevant merit found in the philosophical texts of pre-Qin China (before 221BCE). It demonstrates both that the role accorded to political merit was substantial and that the ideas of what constituted politically relevant merit were heavily contested. Through a focus on four texts, the Xunzi, the Mozi, the Laozi, and the Han Feizi, it sketches out a long-standing debate over questions including the appropriate source of merit, the relationship between political merit and moral merit, and how merit should be nurtured and directed in the political arena. In doing so, it hopes to show why contemporary discussions of Asian-inspired political meritocracy, its promise, and its perils, are impoverished if they limit themselves to 'Confucian' notions of meritocracy rather than exploring more fully the wider variety on offer.