Confucianism and Modern Democracy

Author: He Xinquan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: As a guiding principle for establishing the nation for over two thousand years, Confucianism has always been a significant and intriguing topic in relation to its theoretical connection with modern democracy. This topic not only concerns the path of Chinese civilization and politics but also touches upon the future direction of the entire East Asian Confucian cultural sphere. During the late Qing Dynasty, many intellectual figures dedicated themselves to exploring this topic, exhausting their efforts to propose a way to bridge the two traditions. However, due to the limited understanding of Western modern democracy at the time, it was inevitable to make superficial connections between Confucianism and modern democracy, which fell short of profound theoretical reflection and construction. Since the May Fourth New Culture Movement, there has indeed been considerable progress in understanding Western liberal democracy. Regrettably, the pendulum swung too far, and under a lack of respect and sympathetic understanding of Confucianism and the entire Chinese cultural tradition, this serious intellectual issue still remains trapped in simplistic dualistic judgment models, thus limiting potential research achievements. In recent years, scholars in the Chinese-speaking world have gradually moved beyond past research models, focusing on the subtle and complex relationship between Confucianism and modern democracy, thereby opening up new research perspectives and gradually accumulating significant findings. This book is a further exploration by the author, following the Study of Hayek’s Free Theory (Taipei: Lianjing, 1988), on the complex relationship between liberalism, the philosophical foundation of modern democracy, and the Chinese Confucian tradition, based on research over the past five or six years. Taking contemporary New Confucians as examples, the book examines the political philosophy constructed by their key figures around the theme of Confucianism and modern democracy. The author has strived to maintain an objective and impartial attitude, delving into the theoretical structures of various schools and conducting exploration and analysis within the framework of this intellectual theme. Most chapters in the book have been published previously and have been greatly benefited from the guidance of academic peers and friends. Among them, Chapter 2 was presented at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, and included in the Essays on Historical Figures in Modern China (Taipei: Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, 1993); Chapter 4, titled Bridging Confucianism and Modern Democracy: An Analysis of Mou Zongsan’s Political Philosophy, was presented at the Institute of Chinese Philosophy and Culture, Academia Sinica, and included in Contemporary Confucianism: Challenges and Responses, edited by Liu Shuxian (Taipei: Institute of Chinese Philosophy and Culture, Academia Sinica, 1995); Chapter 5 was published in the second issue of the Philosophical Journal of National Chengchi University (Taipei: Department of Philosophy, National Chengchi University, 1995); Chapter 6, titled Seeking the Roots of Liberal Democracy in Tradition: Xu Fuguan’s New Interpretation of Confucian Political Philosophy, was presented at the Second International Conference on Contemporary New Confucianism and included in Essays on Contemporary New Confucian Figures, edited by Li Minghui (Taipei: Wensin, 1994); Chapter 7, titled Reconstructing the Path of Nation-Building Through the Integration of Chinese and Western Thought: An Analysis of Chang Jung-tung’s Political Philosophy, was presented at the Academic Conference on Traditional Chinese Culture and Future Cultural Development and included in Interpretation and Creation: Traditional Chinese Culture and Its Future Development, edited by Shen Qingsong (Taipei: United Daily News Cultural Foundation, 1995); Chapter 8, titled The Character and Problems of Contemporary New Confucianism’s Concept of Freedom, was presented at the th International Conference on Contemporary New Confucianism and included in Essays on Contemporary New Confucianism—Outer King Volume (Taipei: Wensin, 1991). During the author’s academic journey, without the encouragement of mentors, the intellectual exchanges with friends, and the support of family, this long and arduous path of academic research would have been difficult to sustain. On the eve of the book’s publication, the author would like to express heartfelt gratitude to every sincere mentor, friend, and family member who has interacted with him. He Xinquan Preface, early 1996, Taipei