Les Lois et les Nombres
Essai sur les ressorts de la culture politique chinoise
Laws and Numbers - Essay on the springs of Chinese political culture Romain Graziani Éditions Gallimard Collection Bibliothèque des Histoires
Through this essay, which is aimed at both experts and non-specialists of China, Romain Graziani, a professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and a scholar at the East Asian Institute (IAO), offers a concise and accessible summary of the results of his work on China.
Drawing on both classical and new sources - including mathematics, divination, spiritual practices, laws, Taoist narratives, and war techniques - Romain Graziani presents the ideas and concrete changes that could be linked to a particular form of Chinese thought.
While discussing the creation of a highly centralized state, he demonstrates that this model, based on laws and numbers, has significantly contributed to transforming Chinese society: the way of experiencing time, moving, perceiving power, working, or even perceiving oneself. He also explains how this logic allowed for the early envisioning of a society organized around information, surveillance, and security techniques.
Editor’s note
Discover Romain Graziani in La Conversation scientifique de France Culture , on April 5 , 2025
Discover " Grand face à Face " podcast in which Romain Graziani was invited on May 10 , 2025
Discover Romain Graziani in " C politique " on May 11 , 2025