Monday, June 03, 2019
Overstating the Case
The Case for Confucianism in America: How an Ancient Chinese Philosophical Tradition Could Save Our Fraying Democracy by Alexander Zubatov
Was Confucianism sufficient by itself to prevent the Chinese imperial government from turning it into a state ideology and using it to support the imperial system? Or, for that matter, is it preventing the Chinese Communists from attempting to do the same? Confucianism does not address the origin of political authority, nor the nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled, and whether equality between the two is possible. Confucianism, as it currently exists in the classics and whatever tradition of commentary, simply does not have the resources to support republicanism. Perhaps someone can develop the tradition in that direction, though it will be the case that such novelties will be contested by some as not being part of the original tradition, even if the additional premises can be shown to be in harmony with the principles found in the classical texts.
Was Confucianism sufficient by itself to prevent the Chinese imperial government from turning it into a state ideology and using it to support the imperial system? Or, for that matter, is it preventing the Chinese Communists from attempting to do the same? Confucianism does not address the origin of political authority, nor the nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled, and whether equality between the two is possible. Confucianism, as it currently exists in the classics and whatever tradition of commentary, simply does not have the resources to support republicanism. Perhaps someone can develop the tradition in that direction, though it will be the case that such novelties will be contested by some as not being part of the original tradition, even if the additional premises can be shown to be in harmony with the principles found in the classical texts.
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