Ancient China: The Degeneration of the State and the Critical Question

Having gorged ourselves on enough theory, let us return now to the previous discussion.

A small recap (with pictures!).   I had said previously that the prevailing norms of a society (structure, religious values, moral code, etc.) has an effect on the types of questions pondered by that civilization - which includes questions that we would identify today as being part of the domain of Science.

So we want to ask:  What happened when this....

....became this...

The first map shows the borders of the later half of the Zhou dynasty, when the Zhou kings were in decline. 

A Side Note: Notice the size of the actual Zhou State in comparison to the rest of China as it exists today.

The second map shows the Spring and Autumn Era, when the veneer of Zhou kingship is at its breaking point.   Most of the states that you see on the map: Qin, Qu, Wu, Jin, Yan, Qi, Lu, etc. were at this times openly maneuvering against one another while still paying lip services to the Zhou King.

To make things simple, think of the following:

Map 1: Unified Polity.

Map 2: Warring States competing for Supremacy.


How we got from Map 1 to Map 2 was a rather large time interval wherein the people of Ancient China enjoyed a rather lengthy period of peace and prosperity due to the Zhou System.

The System, fengjian in Chinese, has often been compared to Medieval Feudalism in Western Europe.  Its manner of operation would work something like this.

                 1.) The Zhou State either conquers or incorporates a new piece of territory.
                
                 2.) In order to bring the area under control, the Zhou king delegates authority to an individual
                      who shall rule over this piece of territory in his name.

                 3.) The Vassals in most cases were kinsmen, who owed loyalty to the ruling house based on a
                       mix of history and a strong religious sentiment about the role of kingship. [See previous
                       blogpost regarding Tian.]

                       Even vassals who were not related by blood, such as local power-holders who were
                       voluntarily incorporated into the Zhou State, owed fealty to the Zhou King as they were
                       beneficiaries of the system.

                       In essence the Vassals, whatever their origin, were as Benjamin Schwartz stated "the fence
                       and protecting wall of the Zhou dynasty."

 Now i'm sure this all sounds very familiar to those who understood how European Feudalism operated, except there are two small points that need to be raised about differences.

• The Zhou King is the apex of political and religious life.   

          Given the manner in which the Zhou Kings justified their rule (personal relationship with Heaven, a
          transcendent power), the Zhou Kings were the ultimate authorities within Ancient China.  The
          political wrangling between the Church and various States did not exist here.  The Zhou King was
          both Monarch and Pope combined.

• There is a Proto-Bureaucratic element within the Fengjian System.

          The rise of Bureaucracy in the West came with the advent of the modern Nation-State.   A type of
          "bureaucracy" was already forming within the Chinese feudal systems revolving around the dictates of
          the Zhou King's court.    This was not a meritocracy however, as kinsmen were usually appointed to
          positions.  The offices and their portfolios were quite vague and often fluctuated.


So, what's the takeaway?    Here's a hint, think a Chinese Peasant.

During the Era of Map 1 - what does Mr. Peasant see?    Yeah sure, this isn't a democratic society where political leaders are often competing to keep you happy, but for the time period the Zhou State seems perfect.  

There is Order.  Crimes are Punished.  You can go about the business of living, acquiring wealth, and getting that 4th or 5th wife if you are lucky.

Best of all, the Supreme Ruler, the Guy who Commands your Local Ruler, he's the Best Friend of God (or the Universe).   His State encompasses the Known World.   His moral and ritual actions keep humanity as a whole in tune with the Cosmos.

And then we hit the Era of Map 2 - and the whole system Crashes and Burns.

That Order which your father and father's father, etc. lived under just got thrown out the window.

That State which you believed wasn't some kind of contrivance of Man but was as natural as a blue sky or the rocky ground, has fallen apart.

What do you do?

Well if you are a Chinese Peasant, you are probably suffering greatly at this time period.  That or you were dead.

But if you are a member of that lower-rank of nobles who are looking at their superiors waste resources and lives (perhaps even your own if you aren't too careful), then you may start to wonder.

And with wondering comes the Critical Question -  What is the Dao?

Dao being Chinese for "The Way."  So it could be asked, "What is the Way?"

As in "What is the Way that we can Fix things?"

Where is the Road Back toward Map 1, when life was relatively Better.

Heck, some start to argue for the Road Back to the time Before Map 1, even before the Shang Dynasty which the Zhou replaced.  Some wished to find a way to return to the days of the Ancient Sage Kings who ruled without avarice or force.

So a political crisis serves to jumpstart Chinese philosophy with that critical question.  

But that question, What is the Dao?, will serve to ignite speculation in a variety of different fields.    The Search for the Way will take thinkers well beyond the boundaries of politics and ethical philosophy as contemplation turns to the Natural World in the hopes of finding a solution.

And here lies the beginning of Chinese science.