Description
Book SynopsisSince the very beginning, Confucianism has been troubled by a serious gap between its political ideals and the reality of societal circumstances. This title examines and reconstructs both Confucian political thought and liberal democratic institutions, blending them to form a Confucian political philosophy.
Trade Review"[T]he political vision that emerges from the pages of this book is reasonable, humane and inspiring."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "Chan has created a very interesting work in the Confucian tradition of revival and reinterpretations for current times."--Choice "[This book is] at the forefront of contemporary attempts to grapple with the normative and empirical issues presented by East Asian politics and the relationship of those issues with democracy. [It] supplies important insights into, and reasons for, considering alternatives to liberal democracy, but also raises equally important questions and problems related to those alternatives."--David J. Lorenzo, Perspectives on Politics "Joseph Chan's book is an exceptionally ambitious yet moderate reconstruction of Confucianism for such an inhospitable world and, as such, it is important both in its own right and as an exemplar of a steadily expanding normative enterprise."--Jiwei Ci, Dao "Chan's writing is very clear and wellstructured. His arguments and in-depth analysis of issues shows that he has a thorough understanding of the strengths and limitations of both western liberal democracy and ancient Confucianism."--Andrew T.W. Hung, European Political Science
Table of ContentsForeword by Series Editor ix Preface xi Introduction. Interplay between the Political Ideal and Reality 1 PART I. Political Authority and Institution 25 Chapter 1. What Is Political Authority? 27 Chapter 2. Monism or Limited Government? 46 Chapter 3. The Role of Institution 65 Chapter 4. Mixing Confucianism and Democracy 81 PART II. Rights, Liberties, and Justice 111 Chapter 5. Human Rights as a Fallback Apparatus 113 Chapter 6. Individual Autonomy and Civil Liberties 131 Chapter 7. Social Justice as Sufficiency for All 160 Chapter 8. Social Welfare and Care 178 Conclusion. Confucian Political Perfectionism 191 Appendix 1: Notes on Scope and Methods 205 Appendix 2: Against the Ownership Conception of Authority 213 Bibliography 233 Index 247
