Date of Thesis
Fall 2017
Description
By comparing the interpretation of dharma in the ancient Indian Laws of Manu (Manusmṛti) with the concepts of dao in the Chinese classic, Daodejing, this thesis discusses that, despite the plausible perception that the former represents despotic, hierarchical governance while the latter promotes freedom (and even anarchy), the two texts in fact share a similar envision of human flourishing through the following of one's nature, as well as a foundational belief that both laws and political ideals emerge from nature.
Keywords
Laws of Manu, Daodejing, nature, human flourishing, politics, caste system
Access Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Type
Bachelor of Arts
Major
Comparative Humanities
First Advisor
James Mark Shields
Recommended Citation
Zheng, Qijing, "Nature and Human Flourishing in the Laws of Manu and the Daodejing" (2017). Honors Theses. 428.
https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/honors_theses/428
Included in
Chinese Studies Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons