Mittwoch | 16.00 Uhr | Pitfalls of Meritocracy „Elevating the Worthy” in Early Chinese Thought Prof. Dr. Yuri Pines, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel), Department of Asian Studies  Pitfalls of Meritocracy Proliferation of the meritocratic discourse (more precisely the idea of “elevating the worthy and employing the able”) had dramatically changed the Chinese world of the Warring States period (453-221 BCE). By the fourth century BCE the pedigree-based social order was profoundly shattered and the idea that officials should be “the worthiest and the most able” men gained extraordinarily broad support. But the proliferation of these ideas created a new set of questions. First, who should determine one’s “worthiness”? One’s peers, a ruler, or maybe commoners below? Second, what exactly constitutes one’s “worth”? Is it a referent to one’s classical education, verbal eloquence, moral behavior, or, alternatively, to one’s practical achievements (e.g. distinguishing oneself on the battlefield)? Behind these questions we may discern many thinkers’ painful realization that meritocratic discourse could be utilized by unscrupulous manipulators who would pose themselves as virtuous “noble men” (junzi), while in practice pursuing their private interests. Adresse Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS) Raum 010.00.05 Voßstraße 2 69115 Heidelberg Veranstalter Institut für Sinologie Homepage Veranstalter www.zo.uni-heidelberg.de/sinologie Kontakt |