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Fa is a concept in Chinese philosophy that concerns aspects of ethics, logic, and law. It can be accurately translated as 'law' in some contexts, but as a 'model' or 'standard' for behavior in most ancient texts, namely the Mozi, with prominent examples including the performance of carpentry. Although theoretically earlier, Fa comes to prominence in the Mohist school of thought. An administrative use of fa standards is prominently elaborated in Legalism, but figures in the school of names also used fa (models) for litigation. Given it's broadness, use of the term fa even included medical models (theories).

Fa was still considered important by Warring States period Confucians. Xunzi, whose work would ultimately be foundational to Confucian philosophy during the Han dynasty, took up fa, suggesting that it could only be properly assessed by the Confucian sage (聖; shèng), and that the most important fa were the very rituals that Mozi had ridiculed for their ostentatious waste and lack of benefit for the people at large.

In Han Fei's philosophy, the king is the sole source of fa (including 'law'), taught to the common people so that there would be a harmonious society free of chance occurrences, disorder, and "appeal to privilege". High officials were not to be held above the fa ('law' or 'protocol'), nor were they allowed to independently create their own fa, uniting both executive fiat and rule of law.

Mohism and the School of Names

The concept of fa first gained importance in the Mohist school of thought. To Mozi, a standard must stand "three tests" in order to determine its efficacy and morality. The first of these tests was its origin, as to whether the standard had precedence in the actions or thought of the mythological sage kings of the Xia dynasty, whose examples are frequently cited in classical Chinese philosophy. The second test was one of validity; does the model stand up to evidence in the estimation of the people? The third and final test was one of applicability; this final one is a utilitarian estimation of the net good that, if implemented, the standard would have on both the people and the state.

The third test speaks to the fact that to the Mohists, a fa was not simply an abstract model, but an active tool. The real-world use and practical application of fa were vital. Yet fa as models were also used in later Mohist logic as principles used in deductive reasoning. As classical Chinese philosophical logic was based on analogy rather than syllogism, fa were used as benchmarks to determine the validity of logical claims through comparison. There were three fa in particular that were used by these later Mohists (or "Logicians") to assess such claims, which were mentioned earlier. The first was considered a "root" standard, a concern for precedence and origin. The second, a "source", a concern for empiricism. The third, a "use", a concern for the consequence and pragmatic utility of a standard. These three fa were used by the Mohists to both promote social welfare and denounce ostentation or wasteful spending.

Mohist and Confucian fa

Described with reference to the square, compass or plumb-line, Mozi used fa in the sense of models and standards for copy and imitation in action. As in Confucianism, Mozi's ruler is intended to act as the fa (or example) for the nobles and officials. From this, the concept of fa develops towards political technique.

Illustrated by the scale, grain-leveler and ink and line, together with a benevolent heart, Mencius's ruler will not achieve effective results without fa. A late contemporary of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang, Mencius's fa more broadly represents models, exemplars and names. Amongst other categories, including techniques of the heart-mind, Mencius's fa includes more specific examples of physical statistics such as temperatures, volumes, consistencies, weights, sizes, densities, distances, and quantities.

Xunzi's notion of fa arguably derives from Confucian li as applied to the regulation of human behavior. The Great Appendix or Ten Wings of the Book of Changes, added by Confucian scholars during the Western Han dynasty, defines fa as "to institute something so that we can use it."

See also

• Logic in China
• Legalism (Chinese philosophy)

Sources

• Rubin, Vitali (1974). "Shen Tao and Fa-Chia". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 94 (3): 337–346. doi:10.2307/600068. JSTOR 600068.

References

1. Pines 2023.
2. Schwartz 1985 p321, Hansen 1992
3. Loewe 1999 Cambridge p321
4. Robins, Dan (Fall 2008). Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Xunzi". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
5. Han Fei. (2003). Basic Writings. Columbia University Press: New York, p. 7, 21- 28, 40, 91
6. "College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences".
7. Mozi. (2003). Basic Writings. Burton Watson, Ed. Columbia University Press: New York, p. 122
8. Fraser, Chris (Summer 2010). Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Mohism". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
9. * Creel 1974 p148. Shen Pu-hai
   • Donald H Bishop 1995. p81. Chinese Thought
   • Benjamin Schwarz. p.322. The World of Thought in Ancient China
   • Graham 1989. p273-275,283,284 Disputers of the Tao. https://books.google.com/books?id=QBzyCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA273
   • Zhenbin Sun 2015. p. 18. Language, Discourse, and Praxis in Ancient China.
   • Zhongying Cheng 1991 p.315. New Dimensions of Confucian and Neo-Confucian Philosophy. https://books.google.com/books?id=zIFXyPMI51AC&pg=PA315
   • Xing Lu 1998. p262. Rhetoric in Ancient China, Fifth to Third Century, B.C.E.
   https://books.google.com/books?id=Lw9hEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA262
   • Benjamin Elman, Martin Kern 2010 p.17,41,137 Statecraft and Classical Learning: The Rituals of Zhou in East Asian History https://books.google.com/books?id=SjSwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA41
   • Dingxin Zhao 2015 p.72. The Confucian-Legalist State. https://books.google.com/books?id=wPmJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA72

Sources

• Pines, Yuri (2023). "Legalism in Chinese Philosophy". In Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 ed.). Retrieved 2 March 2024.

• Concepts in Chinese philosophy
• Concepts in logic
• Confucian ethics
• Legalism (Chinese philosophy)