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Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:48:31 -0400 |
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I do not know how strong the Chinese influence was on the actual
theoretical (or policy) thinking of the physiocrats, but one thing
that the French philosophes in general liked about Confucianism was
its relative lack of theism, although the Emperor was still supposed
to maintain the "Mandate of Heaven." Nevertheless, Quesnay was an
especial fan of the Chinese and was known as the "French Confucius."
The old split in Chinese philosophy was long that between Taoism and
Confucianism. In terms of economics, the former was more generally
associated with a more anti-authoritarian and anti-state, more
laissez-faire approach, whereas Confucianism was more with emphasis
on hierarchy, order, and central government authority (and also
reason and rationality, as opposed to a more spontaneous and
emotional approach). It was often said that "Confucianism is the
philosophy of the scholar in power, whereas Taoism is the philosophy
of the scholar out of power."
Barkley Rosser
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