 The application of this understanding of the root, according to the Liu An’s scholars, is in managerial acumen. The ruler who understands the root will also understand the value and role of the variety of different regions, people, customs, languages, disciplines, schools, and other things that make up the vast collection of things in the empire. Only a ruler with such vast understanding could hope to be successful in maintaining order in an empire as broad and diverse as the Han. Thus, the art of learning the root underlying all human knowledge is part of the art of rulership, which is the central concern of the Huainanzi. As many noticed, however (and was surely intended), this general framework is applicable beyond the case of the ruler. The individual reader can benefit from the Huainanzi’s model of learning and understanding, for their own purposes.