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Work #1890

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

Duke of Shao (attributed)
c. 11th century BCE (events); written form c. 10th–5th century BCE · Classical Chinese
Political speeches preserved in the Shangshu (Book of Documents) · Zhou dynasty / early Chinese political thought

"The people are the root" — the speeches that grounded political legitimacy in popular welfare and the lessons of dynastic failure

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature not engaged
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Finite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Mediated
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Cosmic-ordering
Observer · Moral Authority Tradition
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Finite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Discrete

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

Linear and historical: the Shang rose and fell; the Zhou must learn or repeat the pattern. Non-deterministic: the future depends on the ruler's virtue.

Space

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

Finite and political: the Zhou realm, the conquered Shang territories, the enfeoffed states.

Matter

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

Practical and agricultural: the people's material welfare — harvests, granaries, infrastructure — is the foundation of state legitimacy.

Observer

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

The Duke of Shao is an embodied political observer who draws knowledge from historical precedent and attention to the people's condition.

Energy

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

Finite and practical: the state's resources must be conserved and directed toward the people's welfare.

Information

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

The speeches are conserved political wisdom — records of governance preserved for future rulers.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Speeches in the Shangshu (Call of Shao and others)

The "Old Text" vs "New Text" problem: which chapters are authentic? The political philosophy may be early Zhou, but the written form is centuries later. "The people are the root" sounds democratic but operates within an aristocratic framework.