3 Review(s)

Explores proper timing and the arts of rulership in the work that inspired China's first emperor. Master Lue's Spring and Autumn Annals (Lueshi chunqiu) inspired the king who united the warring states to become China's first emperor. In this work on the Lueshi chunqiu, author James D. Sellmann finds that the concept of "proper timing" makes the work's diverse philosophies coherent. He discusses the life and times of its author, Lue Buwei, and the structure of the work. Sellmann also analyzes the role of human nature, the justification of the state, and the significance of cosmic, historical, and personal timing in the Lueshi chunqiu. An organic instrumentalist position begins to emerge from the diverse theories of the Lueshi chunqiu. In conclusion, Sellmann looks at the implications of the syncretic philosophies of the Lueshi chunqiu for contemporary conceptions of time, human nature, political order, and social and environmental ethics.