Chinese Cannons and their Modern Applications

Jeremy Paltiel's "Mencius and World Order Theories," The Chinese Journal of International Politics, Vol. 3, 2010, pp. 37-54.

Paltiel argues that "Pre-Qin China is both a rich source of data for international relations specialists and a rich source of analytical insight" because of "an independently authored set of historical texts [the work of Han Fei, Mo Di, Mencius etc.] that lay out the narrative of inter-state relations in ways that allow us to independently evaluate the relationship of data to interpretation and analysis" which allow researchers "to place modern scientific analytic frames around the interpretive propositions of pre-Qin thinkers, and independently evaluate the data in that light." Researchers, he suggests, "should look at the reframed ancient wisdom and ask whether or how this wisdom allows us to fill out or expand the frame of our scientific knowledge and how this new synthesis allow us better to interpret data." (p. 37-8) Drawing on this theoretical framework, Paltiel examines Mencius's theory of hegemony (Badao 霸道) and the kingly way (Wangdao 王道), and its implications in modern international relations theory and its relevance to contemporary international conflict such as the American invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and contemporary Chinese foreign policy (very briefly and superficially though). For those who are taking the GE course: Chinese Cultural Cannons and their Modern Applications, have a look of this article. It won't disappoint you.