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Yumin zhengce
Chinese political science concept From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Yumin zhengce (Chinese: 愚民政策; pinyin: yúmín zhèngcè, lit. 'policy of governing ignorant masses') is a chengyu and concept in Chinese political philosophy.
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Summary
The term refers to the practice of a government deliberately keeping its population in a state of ignorance in order to make them more obedient to political authority and too incompetent to form effective rebellions against the state, thus rendering them more easily subjugated. A fundamental idea held that by limiting the population's literacy their thoughts could be limited as well.
The systematization of yumin zhengce has been attributed to Shang Yang, a statesman of the Qin dynasty.[1] The 3rd century BC Book of Lord Shang states that "[when] the masses are kept ignorant, they are thus [made] easy to control" (民愚則易治也).[2]
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Further reading
- Peterson, Glen (1994). "State Literacy Ideologies and the Transformation of Rural China". Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs (32): 95–120. doi:10.2307/2949829. JSTOR 2949829. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
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References
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