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CHAPTER VII.
How to Govern.
Argument:—Princes should reign, not rule—Rulers find their standards of right in themselves—They thus coerce their people into obeying artificial laws, instead of leaving them to obey natural laws—By action they accomplish nothing—By inaction there is nothing which they would not accomplish—Individuals think they know what the empire wants—In reality it is the empire itself which know best—Illustrations.
YEH CH'ÜEH asked Wang I
- See ch. ii.
four questions, none of which he could answer. Thereat the former was greatly delighted,
- For now he discovered that ignorance is true knowledge:—an explanation which I adopt only for want of a better.
and went off and told P'u I Tzŭ.
- Of whom nothing definite is known.
"Have you only just found that out?" said P'u I Tzŭ. "The Emperor Shun was not equal to T'ai Huang.
- A legendary ruler. For Shun, see ch. i.
Shun was all for charity in his zeal for mankind; but although he succeeded in government, he himself never rose above the level of artificiality. Now
