Ancient Chinese economic thought and the French academic context of the 1930s: Li Zhaoyi’s doctoral thesis

Abstract

The article examines the contribution of the Chinese researcher of the first half of the 20th century Li Zhaoyi to the study of the impact of ancient Chinese thought on the economic doctrine of the French physiocrats. An interpretation of the schools of Taoism, Confucianism and Legalism as carriers of the idea of natural law, which became fundamental for physiocrats, is highlighted as a key feature of Li Zhaoyi’s academic concept. The interpretation of the Chinese teachings on morality, ritual, the way-Tao, and the law-Fa as different understandings of natural law was aimed at demonstrating the Chinese influence on the European thought of the Enlightenment. A distinctive feature of Li Zhaoyi’s research was the use of European concepts, primarily anarchism and individualism, to discuss the specifics of ancient Chinese thought through comparisons with the ideas of J.J. Rousseau, P.A. Kropotkin, M.A. Bakunin, M. Stirner. The increasing attention to the legacy of Li Zhaoyi in modern China is due to the growing interest in the problem of the recognition of Chinese concepts by the global academic community. Li Zhaoyi’s name was mentioned by well-known economist J.A. Schumpeter. The influence on the French physiocrats was a rare case of China’s contribution to the development of world economic science that is expected to provide inspiration for future intercultural interactions. It is concluded that the official policy of introducing “philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics” to the outside world will help to maintain interest in the history of China’s influence on European thought.