Shàngxián 尚賢

‘Elevating the Worthy’: a triad of chapters of the Mòzǐ arguing that governments create the kinds of people they reward. Rather than appealing primarily to moral ideals, the chapters explain political success and failure through incentives, competence, and institutional design. They are therefore notable not only as statements of Mohist political doctrine but also as early reflections on expertise and the social effects of reward structures.