Eirik Lang Harris
Biographic Data
| ID | 3873251 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Eirik Lang Harris |
| GIVEN NAMES | Eirik Lang |
| FAMILY NAME | Harris |
| SIGNATURE | HARRIS E L |
| AFFILIATIONS | City University of Hong Kong |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3548-1783 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1979 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Meritocracy in Early Chinese Political Thought
This Element explores a range of conceptions of politically relevant merit found in the philosophical texts of pre-Qin China (before 221BCE). It demonstrates both that the role accorded to political merit was substantial and that the ideas of what constituted politically relevant merit were heavily contested. Through a focus on four texts, the Xunzi, the Mozi, the Laozi, and the Han Feizi, it sketches out a long-standing debate over questions inc…
Critiquing Heavily Normative Conceptions of Harmony
The idea of harmony is valued in a wide variety of ways by a wide variety of thinkers in early China. It is certainly most prominent in Confucian texts, for which it is a clear and distinctive good both morally and politically. However, texts like the Laozi and the Zhuangzi also have normative visions that can be conceptualized in terms of harmony. Furthermore, harmony has an important role to play even in much more “realist” texts such as the Ha…
Relating the Political to the Ethical
The Shenzi Fragments
The Shenzi Fragments is the first complete translation in any Western language of the extant work of Shen Dao (350–275 B.C.E.). Though his writings have been recounted and interpreted in many texts, particularly in the work of Xunzi and Han Fei, very few Western scholars have encountered the political philosopher’s original, influential formulations. This volume contains both a translation and an analysis of the Shenzi Fragments . It explains the…
Which Teacher Should I Choose
This essay examines whether an invocation of an epistemological privilege on the part of supposed moral experts prevents potential students from being able to evaluate among potential candidates for the role of plausible moral teacher. Throughout, it works to demonstrate that it is possible for even the untutored student to distinguish between a fanatic and a moral expert. In particular, this essay focuses on the version of virtue ethics espoused…
Xunzi’s Political Philosophy
The Shenzi Fragments
Legalism
Legalism' is a term that has long been used to categorize a group of early Chinese philosophers including, but not limited to, Han Fei (Han Feizi), Shen Dao, Shen Buhai, and Shang Yang. However, the usefulness of this term has been contested for nearly as long. This essay has the goal of introducing the idea of 'Legalism' and laying out aspects of the political thought of Han Fei, the most prominent of these thinkers. In this essay, I first lay o…
Han Fei on the Problem of Morality
The Role of Virtue in Xunzi’s 荀子 Political Philosophy
Constraining the Ruler
One of Han Fei's most trenchant criticisms against the early Confucian political tradition is that, insofar as its decision-making process revolves around the ruler, rather than a codified set of laws, this process is the arbitrary rule of a single individual. Han Fei argues that there will be disastrous results due to ad hoc decision-making, relationship-based decision-making, and decision-making based on prior moral commitments. I lay out Han F…
Is the Law in the Way? On the Source of Han Fei's Laws
Journal of Chinese PhilosophyVolume 38, Issue 1 p. 73-87 IS THE LAW IN THE WAY? ON THE SOURCE OF HAN FEI'S LAWS EIRIK LANG HARRIS, Corresponding Author EIRIK LANG HARRIS UNDERWOOD INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE, YONSEI UNIVERSITYSeoul, KoreaEIRIK LANG HARRIS, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Underwood International College, Yonsei University. Specialties: Chinese philosophy, political philosophy, ethics. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers b…
The City Experience
Legalism
Legalism' is a term that has long been used to categorize a group of early Chinese philosophers including, but not limited to, Han Fei (Han Feizi), Shen Dao, Shen Buhai, and Shang Yang. However, the usefulness of this term has been contested for nearly as long. This essay has the goal of introducing the idea of 'Legalism' and laying out aspects of the political thought of Han Fei, the most prominent of these thinkers. In this essay, I first lay o…
The City Experience
Is the Law in the Way? On the Source of Han Fei's Laws
Journal of Chinese PhilosophyVolume 38, Issue 1 p. 73-87 IS THE LAW IN THE WAY? ON THE SOURCE OF HAN FEI'S LAWS EIRIK LANG HARRIS, Corresponding Author EIRIK LANG HARRIS UNDERWOOD INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE, YONSEI UNIVERSITYSeoul, KoreaEIRIK LANG HARRIS, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Underwood International College, Yonsei University. Specialties: Chinese philosophy, political philosophy, ethics. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers b…
Han Fei on the Problem of Morality
The Role of Virtue in Xunzi’s 荀子 Political Philosophy
Constraining the Ruler
One of Han Fei's most trenchant criticisms against the early Confucian political tradition is that, insofar as its decision-making process revolves around the ruler, rather than a codified set of laws, this process is the arbitrary rule of a single individual. Han Fei argues that there will be disastrous results due to ad hoc decision-making, relationship-based decision-making, and decision-making based on prior moral commitments. I lay out Han F…
Legalism
Legalism' is a term that has long been used to categorize a group of early Chinese philosophers including, but not limited to, Han Fei (Han Feizi), Shen Dao, Shen Buhai, and Shang Yang. However, the usefulness of this term has been contested for nearly as long. This essay has the goal of introducing the idea of 'Legalism' and laying out aspects of the political thought of Han Fei, the most prominent of these thinkers. In this essay, I first lay o…
Xunzi’s Political Philosophy
The Shenzi Fragments
The Shenzi Fragments
The Shenzi Fragments is the first complete translation in any Western language of the extant work of Shen Dao (350–275 B.C.E.). Though his writings have been recounted and interpreted in many texts, particularly in the work of Xunzi and Han Fei, very few Western scholars have encountered the political philosopher’s original, influential formulations. This volume contains both a translation and an analysis of the Shenzi Fragments . It explains the…
Which Teacher Should I Choose
This essay examines whether an invocation of an epistemological privilege on the part of supposed moral experts prevents potential students from being able to evaluate among potential candidates for the role of plausible moral teacher. Throughout, it works to demonstrate that it is possible for even the untutored student to distinguish between a fanatic and a moral expert. In particular, this essay focuses on the version of virtue ethics espoused…
Relating the Political to the Ethical
Critiquing Heavily Normative Conceptions of Harmony
The idea of harmony is valued in a wide variety of ways by a wide variety of thinkers in early China. It is certainly most prominent in Confucian texts, for which it is a clear and distinctive good both morally and politically. However, texts like the Laozi and the Zhuangzi also have normative visions that can be conceptualized in terms of harmony. Furthermore, harmony has an important role to play even in much more “realist” texts such as the Ha…
Meritocracy in Early Chinese Political Thought
This Element explores a range of conceptions of politically relevant merit found in the philosophical texts of pre-Qin China (before 221BCE). It demonstrates both that the role accorded to political merit was substantial and that the ideas of what constituted politically relevant merit were heavily contested. Through a focus on four texts, the Xunzi, the Mozi, the Laozi, and the Han Feizi, it sketches out a long-standing debate over questions inc…
Chinese history and philosophy (12 works) · Law (10 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · Epistemology (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Japanese History and Culture (5 works) · Virtue (5 works) · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance (4 works)