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Cited by 8War, Ethics, and JustificationChinese history and philosophyPhilosophical Ethics and Theory

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

“Justification of War in Ancient China”

Stroble, James A.·1998·Asian Philosophy
DOI 10.1080/09552369808575482
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Abstract

The most defensible justifications of war in the European intellectual tradition hold that war is instrumentally necessary for the maintenance of peace and order. An investigation of Ancient Chinese philosophical attitudes towards war calls this assumption into question. The closest parallel to an instrumental concept of war is found in the Legalist school, but historical experience in China has rejected this. The Confucian school, especially Mencius and Xunxi, insists that war is not instrumental in creating social order, but derives from the prior establishing of cultural and political authority, and thus must be punitive in nature. Even the use of “punitive expeditions” is not instrumental, but rather demonstrative or performative in nature, for if coercive methods are necessary, the authority to use them is arguably absent. War for the Chinese, then, is not justified by the necessity for creating public order, but is in itself a sign of the failure to achieve such an order. This contrasts sharply with the views of the dominant Western thinkers on war, such as Michael Walzer, whose positions insist upon the instrumental necessity of armed force, even to the point of absurdity. The ancient Chinese position suggests that this necessity may be ungrounded.

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Crossref · 10.1080/09552369808575482

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28 of 28 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • For both the Xunzi and the Mengzi, the army of a benevolent, righteous ruler prevails less by strength of arms than by the power of its moral virtue or charisma.

    “For the Xunzi , as for the Mengzi , the army of a benevolent, righteous ruler prevails less by strength of arms than by the power of its moral virtue or charisma.$^{8}$^{1}”

    From The Mozi and Just War Theory in Pre-Han Thought (2016) · cites this paper as Stroble 1998

  • According to the Annals, the success of a punitive expedition rests less on military might than on moral authority, as reflected by the subjugated people's acceptance of a worthy new ruler.

    “The success of a punitive expedition rests less on military might than on moral authority, as reflected by the subjugated people's acceptance of a worthy new ruler.”

    From The Mozi and Just War Theory in Pre-Han Thought (2016) · cites this paper as Stroble 1998

Citations

Cites

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1 of the 29 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Augustine. 1950.City of God, Edited by: Dods, Marcus. Vol. 19, 695New York: Random House. 17
  2. Hobbes Thomas, 1950, Leviathan
  3. Machiavelli Niccolo, 1970, The Discourses
  4. Lau, D.C. 1963.Lao Tzu: Too Te Ching, 89Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ch. XXXI
  5. Lau, D.C. 1970.Mencius, Vol. IVa, 14, 123New York: Penguin Books.
  6. Grotius Hugo, 1925, De Jure Belli ac Pacts
  7. Byrne Rebecca Z., 1974, Harmony and Violence in Classical China: a study of the battles of the Tso‐Chuan Thesis (Ph. D.)
  8. Somerville John, 1974, The Crisis: the true story about how the World almost ended
  9. Arendt Hannah, 1969, On Violence

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Metadata

Authors
Stroble, J. A.
Corresponding author
Stroble, James A.
Venue
Asian Philosophy
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
1998-11
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
165-190
ISSN
  • 0955-2367 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-2961
DOI
10.1080/09552369808575482
OpenAlex
W2051853261
Cited by
8
References
29
Citations by year
2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2013: 1
FWCI
3.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Asian Philosophy (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › War, Ethics, and Justification
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Chinese history and philosophy
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Keywords
just war theory, justification of war, ancient Chinese philosophy, legalism, Confucianism, Mencius, Xunzi, punitive expeditions, political authority, Michael Walzer, Chinese political thought

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