Published on February 11, 2026 (Episode 443)
Introduction
In the roughly 280 years between the death of the philosopher Confucius and the reign of the first emperor of China, one of the most profound revolutions in human history took place. It ended with the creation of an imperial system that endured, in one form or another, for more than two millennia. It also produced new traditions of thought and practice, along with enduring achievements in art, literature, and philosophy that continue to shape social life well beyond East Asia. This era—marked by sustained conflict, experimentation, and reform—was critical not only for China, but for humanity writ large.
Yet this period remains surprisingly unfamiliar in the English-speaking world. As my guest Andrew Seth Meyer notes, shelves overflow with books on classical Greece, the conquests of Alexander, or the early Roman Republic—but there has been no equivalent, synthetic account of this foundational moment in early Chinese history. To Rule All Under Heaven was written to fill that gap. In this conversation, Meyer explains how centuries of warfare forced societies to confront fundamental questions about power, administration, education, social status, and the nature of the state itself—and how the answers forged during this period reshaped not only China, but much of East Asia.
About the Guest
Andrew Seth Meyer is Professor of History at Brooklyn College and a specialist in the intellectual history of early China. He is the translator of The Dao of the Military: Liu An’s Art of War and co-translator of The Huainanzi: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Imperial China. His latest book, To Rule All under Heaven: A History of Classical China, from Confucius to the First Emperor, is the subject of this conversation.
For Further Investigation
Andrew Seth Meyer, To Rule All under Heaven: A History of Classical China, from Confucius to the First Emperor (Oxford University Press, 2026)
Liu An, The Dao of the Military: Liu An’s Art of War, translated by Andrew Meyer
Liu An, The Huainanzi: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Imperial China, translated by John S. Major, Sarah Queen, Andrew Meyer, Harold D. Roth
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Reflection Questions
Why might prolonged conflict have accelerated political and social innovation?
What problems does a bureaucratic state solve that a patrimonial one cannot?
How did education become politically consequential during this period?
Tags
Early China · Empire · State Formation · Bureaucracy · Intellectual History · World History
