The Economic Principles of Confucius and His School

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

The following treatise includes a discussion of the economic principles of the chief disciples of Confucius in successive dynasties, as well as the teachings of the Master himself, and, briefly for purposes of comparison, the leaders of other schools—e.g., those of Guanzi, Laozi, Mozi, Shang Yang, and Xu Xing. It was deemed best to combine with the discussion of economic theory some consideration of economic history. Consequently, the conditions out of which the theories arose and to which they were to be applied have usually been described. The canonical writings were taken as primary sources, and the historical writings as secondary. In connection with every theory and institution considered, the attempt has been made to throw light upon its origin and earliest development. Because of the wealth of material, only the most important or most interesting historical facts since the Han dynasty have received attention. Although some information in regard to conditions in China today is given, it was not thought desirable to go very much into detail, because these conditions are in process of revolutionary change and many questions are still unsettled.

The treatise is, therefore, essentially a study of the old regime in China. It is a survey of the Chinese thought and Chinese institutions which developed independently of the Occident. Although my arrangement of the material follows that which has become conventional among Western writers and my understanding of the old texts was greatly helped by Western thinkers, I have been very careful not to read into the writings of the ancient Chinese ideas drawn from modern Western economists. All my statements are based upon the words or the spirit of the words of the