The Democratic Potential of Confucian Minben Thought

Murthy, Viren

doi:10.1080/09552360050001752

Cited by 31 publications

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“…Leaving the concept "democracy" vague and unspecified means it could be compatible with nearly anything (see also Hu 2000: 55). Yet some writers have failed to do that much (for example , Murthy 2000;Xu 2006; Wang and Titunik 2000). Of the writers that do give some definition, these vary considerably.…”

Section: Problems With the Debatementioning

confidence: 95%

Why Early Confucianism Cannot Generate Democracy

Elstein

2010

Dao

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A central issue in Chinese philosophy today is the relationship between Confucianism and democracy. While some political figures have argued that Confucian values justify non-democratic forms of government, many scholars have argued that Confucianism can provide justification for democracy, though this Confucian democracy will differ substantially from liberal democracy. These scholars believe it is important for Chinese culture to develop its own conception of democracy using Confucian values, drawn mainly from Kongzi (Confucius) and Mengzi (Mencius), as the basis. This essay describes some obstacles to this form of Confucian democracy. It argues that considering the political philosophies of Kongzi and Mengzi in the context of their views on personal cultivation reveals that they oppose some of the central assumptions of democracy. They do not trust the public to make good decisions, and advocate government for the people, but not by the people. These philosophies alone cannot generate democracy.

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Section: Problems With the Debatementioning

confidence: 95%

Why Early Confucianism Cannot Generate Democracy

Elstein

2010

Dao

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“…This paper argues that this progressiveness-particularly the concept of "people as the roots"is a manifestation of village democracy in the context of feudal Vietnam. Given that material prosperity is a critical precondition of democracy, even if this Confucian concept is not analogous to democracy itself, some of its features could facilitate the growth of an inclusive and empowered regime (Murthy 2000).…”

Section: The Concept Of People As the Roots And Its Implications For mentioning

confidence: 99%

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism

Nguyen

2019

Journal of Nationalism, Memory &Amp; Language Politics

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In this paper, the concept of "people as the roots" (of the state) is explored through its myriad expressions in Vietnamese history: the emphasis of Vietnamese feudal rulers on fulfilling the people's will, loving the people, and ensuring peace for the people. From these historical examples, the authors argue that in the politics of Vietnamese traditional Confucianism, there has been the presence of democratic elements. Yet, they do not reflect a full-fledged democracy and should be seen only as signs of village democracy. This view holds an important implication for the process of democratization of modern Vietnamese society: while the concept of "people as the roots" is essential for a village democracy and is valuable for building a democracy, it does not necessarily mean a straightforward translation to a modern democracy. Here, the authors suggest that civil society will play an important role in making this transition smoother.

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“…the government (or ruler) should not be shied away from promoting their view(s) of the good to the people (see, e.g. Murthy 2000;Wang & Titunik 2000;Bai 2008). 13 Accordingly, the Minben philosophy of Confucianism can too provide a normative foundation to include the public interests in science and technology policy agenda-settings through public dialogues, as public dialogues enable the government to better understand the needs of the people and being more responsive to those needs;…”

Section: Responsible Innovation and Liberal Democratic Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responsible innovation for decent nonliberal peoples: a dilemma?

Wong

2016

Journal of Responsible Innovation

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It is hard to disagree with the idea of responsible innovation (henceforth, RI), as it enables policymakers, scientists, technology developers, and the public to better understand and respond to the social, ethical, and policy challenges raised by new and emerging technologies. RI has gained prominence in policy agenda in Europe and the United States over the last few years. And, along with its rising importance in policy-making, there is also a burgeoning research literature on the topic. Given the historical context of which RI emerges, it should not be surprising that the current discourse on RI is predominantly based on liberal democratic values. Yet, the bias towards liberal democratic values will inevitably limit the discussion of RI, especially in the cases where liberal democratic values are not taken for granted. As such, there is an urgent need to return to the normative foundation of RI, and to explore the notion of 'responsible innovation' from nonliberal democratic perspectives. Against this background, this paper seeks to demonstrate the problematic consequences of RI solely grounded on or justified by liberal democratic values. This paper will cast the argument in the form of a dilemma to be labelled as The Decent Nonliberal Peoples' Dilemma and use it to illustrate the problems of the Western bias.

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The Democratic Potential of Confucian Minben Thought

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Why Early Confucianism Cannot Generate Democracy

Why Early Confucianism Cannot Generate Democracy

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism

Responsible innovation for decent nonliberal peoples: a dilemma?

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