I was intrigued by the debate about the role of government in the lives of the people in Ancient China, I find it interesting how after thousands of years we still haven’t been able to close the debate. If Anything our view of the role of government has been coming even more sharply dividing than in the past.
Ancient Chinese Confucian scholars debated if the government should be involved in planning what farmers should grow, artisans should produce, and if traders should be held accountable by government and taxes levied to ensure the government can function and maintain these roles.
What is very interesting though is the counter point that was made and it is farmers should grow what brings them most profit in their eyes, artisans should make what someone asks them to make and is willing to pay for and traders should be able to buy and sell goods at the best prices to make them the most money. The fact that these scholars discussed the idea of supply and demand thousands of years before its institutional definition and concept were framed.
We can stretch our imaginations a bit and say that thousands of years ago, Confucian scholars were discussing the idea of implementing a Capitalist or a Socialist state. It is a stretch but it is by no means wild. The terms Capitalism and Socialism are more modern but in the reality of life they are really the only two economic plans to survive the test of time and they still compete against one another and are the main focus of economic dialogue today.