The Philosophies of Judge Dee

The translated novel Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee tells of a district magistrate of Chang-Ping in the T’ang Dynasty named Judge Dee Goong An, famous for his ability to solve mysterious cases. This is simple enough, except it is immediately evident to the reader that Judge Dee is not just a normal magistrate content with solving a case – it is easy to see that he always digs deeper. His success is unparalleled in the land, his actions laid out without a single corrupt thought or a lax view. What makes Judge Dee so effective? How is he able to look past the most obvious answers to find the one that is correct? It is obvious that he can only do this with the help of various different philosophies. These philosophies provided him significant methods, clues, and authority to bring justice to the region. Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism all play vital and separate roles in allowing Judge Dee to work effectively. Without all three, he would have not been successful in his cases.

The first of these philosophies is Confucianism. Confucianism is based off of the teachings of the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius, and it places heavy emphasis filial piety, or respect to one’s elders and ancestors. It also stresses proper relationships and order within society and within families. Education is also valued in Confucian beliefs, and these beliefs play a big role in Judge Dee’s actions. For one, Judge Dee would not have been a magistrate if he had not studied the Confucian classics. Study of Confucianism was a part of the “benchmark” or standard that one had to reach in order to proceed in becoming a statesman. Aside from this technicality, Confucianism also appeared many times throughout the novel. One of the most important was the fact that role models were evident in how Judge Dee was respected and also how the social hierarchy worked, not only in his own court but how Judge Dee perceived his subjects. An example of that is the punishment that was given to Dr. Tang. Dr. Tang was the head of the house and was therefore responsible for the actions taken by one of his students, Hsu Deh-tai. Hsu, of course, was the young man who committed adultery and was an accessory to the murder of Bee Hsun, the husband of Mrs. Djou. Instead of a severe punishment for Dr. Tang, Judge Dee orders otherwise, saying “But in deference to your great achievements in the field of scholarly researches, I shall free with this public reprimand, enjoining you henceforth to devote all your time to your own literary studies. You are strictly forbidden ever again to engage in the teaching of young students.” (Van Gulik, pg. 208). Judge Dee respected Dr. Tang’s higher learning status, whereas if it were a normal person the punishment would have been far more severe and painful. Respect for the actions of a person’s elders is evident as well. In the same scene, Judge Dee convicts the student Hsu Deh-tai, who is to be executed by strangulation – however, Judge Dee recognizes the “meritorious services rendered to the State by the said Hsu Deh-tai’s father and grandfather” (pg. 214). This is a subtle example of filial piety, albeit indirect filial piety. A social hierarchy is near-impossible to miss in this novel as well– from the very beginning the reader is notified of the position of Judge Dee and his consequent assistants under him, along with the fact that all of his subjects refer to themselves as “this insignificant person” (pg. 10). They all respect Judge Dee, which shows the Confucian idea of social order. Because of these facts, Confucianism played a very important part in the eventual outcome of the book, and more important in the set-up of the book’s characters and plot. It is also important because of its influence on what is right and wrong (crimes) – adultery and an unprovoked murdering of a woman’s husband is the most despicable crime because of the relationship between husband and wife in Confucian ideals, which is that the wife should respect and care for the husband.

The second philosophy that plays a role in this book is Taoism. This is possibly the most literal of the three philosophies that affects Judge Dee’s actions. Taoism, at it’s very basic, represents and values one’s connection with nature. It promotes a natural way or path in life and consequently emphasizes one’s intuition. It also says that the universe is all about balance – for one object, there is a corresponding counterpart. Taoism plays a vital role in the physical solutions of the cases and the outcome of the book because of the way it is shown. Judge Dee, frustrated by his inability to think clearly, first consults with bamboo slips used for divination. Giving up logical thought, he thinks to himself, saying “Since I have come here to receive instruction from