Abstract
The present article is a continuation of the research on the chapter «Diverse Writings» (Za shu) from the famous “Book to Burn” (Fen shu), the opus magnum by the iconoclastic late Ming thinker Li Zhi (1527–1602). The article comprises the first translation into Russian of the essay by Li Zhi “Discourse on Armament and Food” (Bing shi lun) accompanied by introduction and comments. The tenor of the Chinese text is the social role of armament. Li Zhi revises the saying by Confucius regarding the priority of people’s trust to the food and armament. He also strongly criticizes Mengzi’s ideas. The latter recommended to enlighten people by educating them in village schools and to openly force them to follow the righteous way of the king. Li Zhi suggests an effective alternative to such approach by following the more flexible Daoist way. Following his suggestion, one should create special conditions in which people would self-regulate in natural way and could be manipulated without being able to notice it.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
