The Conservative Dimension of the Chinese Confucian Political Tradition in the Light of Western Conservatism
| Název práce v češtině: | Konzervativní dimenze čínské konfuciánské politické tradice ve světle západního konzervatismu |
|---|---|
| Název v anglickém jazyce: | The Conservative Dimension of the Chinese Confucian Political Tradition in the Light of Western Conservatism |
| Klíčová slova: | Chinese political tradition, Confucianism, Conservatism |
| Klíčová slova anglicky: | Chinese political tradition, Confucianism, Conservatism |
| Akademický rok vypsání: | 2021/2022 |
| Typ práce: | diplomová práce |
| Jazyk práce: | angličtina |
| Ústav: | Katedra politologie (23-KP) |
| Vedoucí / školitel: | Janusz Salamon, Ph.D. |
| Řešitel: | skrytý - zadáno vedoucím/školitelem |
| Datum přihlášení: | 09.07.2022 |
| Datum zadání: | 09.07.2022 |
| Datum a čas obhajoby: | 03.02.2023 10:15 |
| Místo konání obhajoby: | Pekařská 16, JPEK313, 313, Malá učebna, 3.patro |
| Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: | 04.01.2023 |
| Datum proběhlé obhajoby: | 03.02.2023 |
| Oponenti: | PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D. |
| Zásady pro vypracování |
| Topic characteristics / Research Question(s):
This paper focuses on the characteristics of Western conservatism in the Chinese Confucian political tradition and how these characteristics are constructed in the Chinese traditional political system. The master's thesis attempts to study different aspects of this conservative dimension in an unbiased, scientific environment. By considering and interweaving different western conservative schools, get the common characteristics of western conservatism: orderism (respect hierarchical concept, social order, and social morality), formalism (form principle, including the strict political ceremony), and empiricism (respect experience principle, such as political and economic reform should not be the rational set of political direction, but along the direction of tradition, facts, and experience). Chinese Confucian traditional politics also implies these three characteristics of western conservatism, which are also the foundation of the traditional Confucian politics that is still respected in China today. After obtaining the three characteristics shared by Western conservatism, the main study is on how these three characteristics are reflected in Confucianism, and how they construct the Chinese Confucian political tradition. First of all, in terms of orderism, orderism is the foundation of the establishment of Chinese Confucian political tradition. It has formed a broad and established social consensus and civic consciousness. It includes Confucian political morality, social hierarchy, and strict social order. This social conscious influence is still in China. Secondly, in terms of formalism, formalism constructs a specific Confucian political system. Confucius valued the "ming", meaning "formal name", namely, the identity, status, and title of each person in the Chinese Confucian political system. Confucius said that a "formal name" is fundamentally the required form of legitimacy, that is to say, in society, political rule pays more attention to legitimacy and rationality, rather than just based on violent conquest, so the ruling class needs to promote benevolent government to win the support of the people. In the form of a specific political system, Confucianism believed that the relationship between the king and his subjects could be seen as a contractual relationship. In the establishment of the political system, under the supreme central power, the establishment of government institutions should follow the principle of mutual checks and balances. In social activities, formalism is manifested in various "rituals"; in political activities, the form is manifested in political rituals, namely, the "rites" advocated by Confucianism. Third, in terms of Empiricism . Confucianism advocates the golden mean. The characteristic of this idea is that they believe that a design that seems to be rational, but many unknown variables will appear in the actual implementation process so that the rational design does not achieve the expected results. As Hume said, man's ability to abstract reason is limited (Hume1744). Therefore, Confucian thinking is that they do not set specific political ideas and cannot provide a clear political direction. This is very similar to Oakeshott's idea, in which he opposed a utopian political plan. He once used a metaphor to describe his idea of a ship that " has neither a starting point nor a designated destination (Oakeshott 1962). The research covers grounds that are currently untrodden: by considering the Chinese Confucian political tradition from the perspective of Western conservatism. Western political conservatism was introduced to China relatively late and began to be introduced systematically after China's reform and opening up. It can be said that theoretical research in China is still in progress. But after a deeper understanding, we are surprised to find that the common core characteristics of western conservatism have had some intersection with Chinese Confucianism. Although on the surface, China's centralized political system and the western democracy are very different, from a deep level, the construction of the Chinese Confucian political tradition has the characteristics of western conservatism. Therefore, this paper mainly aims to answer three questions. First, what are the conservative characteristics of the Chinese Confucian political tradition? Second, how are these conservative features building the Chinese political system? Third, why did China not form a western democracy , from the Confucian conservative perspective? These problems can help us to better understand the Chinese Confucian political tradition.In particular, in the contemporary and complex international situation with highly developed information, many Chinese people blindly worship the western democratic political system, and even hope to build China into a western-style democratic state.However, they ignore the actual national conditions of China and the ideological core of the traditional Chinese political culture inherited for thousands of years, so this idea is unrealistic. Working hypotheses: 1. Western conservatism has three common characteristics: orderism, formalism, and empiricism. 2. Chinese Confucianism and western conservatism have the intersection, or Chinese Confucianism has the characteristics of western conservatism. 3. Due to the conservative characteristics of Chinese Confucianism, the Chinese centralized political system was formed. Methodology: I will use Literature research method, comparative research method and interdisciplinary method. Literature research method：Integrate the content of Confucianism and western conservatism into the specific historical background, and analyze their historical reasons.This is meant to understand their idea more accurately.In addition, I will review the relevant literature on Western conservatism to demonstrate the shared characteristics of various schools of Western conservatism (for example, compare the works of Joseph de Maistre, Edmund Burke, Kekes and others to get their consensus on orderism).After obtaining the three characteristics of western conservatism (order doctrine, empiricism and formalism) and the combing of Chinese Confucianism, on this basis, the second stage demonstrates the conservative characteristics of Chinese Confucianism and studies the Chinese political tradition of how these conservative characteristics are constructed. Interdisciplinary method: I will demonstrate the hypotheses involved in this paper from various disciplines, include religion, philosophy, sociology, economics and other perspectives, which will also help to deepen the understanding of Confucianism and western conservatism. |
| Seznam odborné literatury |
| [1]Edmund Burke.,1987. Reflections on the Revolution in France, Hackett Publishing Company，1987.https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/reflections-on-the-revolution-in-france-by-edmund-burke
[2] Zhu Demi, Freedom and Order: Research on Western Conservative Political Thought, Tianjin: Tianjin People's Publishing House, 2004 https://book.kongfz.com/6713/4990905425 [3]Cecil, H., 2011. Conservatism. [Charleston, S.C.]: Nabu Press. <https://www.amazon.com/Conservatism-Hugh-Cecil/dp/B0065OJPQK> [4] Roger Scruton.,2018. The Meaning of Conservatism https://www.roger-scruton.com/articles/330-the-meaning-of-conservatism [5] Michael Oakeshott: Rationalism in Politics and Other Essays: New and Expanded Edition Philosophy 67 (261):416-418 (1992)https://philpapers.org/rec/OAKRIP-2 [6] Aymeric Xu.,From Culturalist Nationalism to Conservatism.Volume 4 in the series Transformations of Modern China [7]Lai Chen., The Core Values of Chinese Civilization.Tsinghua University.Translated by Paul J. D’Ambrosio, Robert Carleo III, Chad Meyers, Joanna Guzowska [8] DAVID B. WONG., Confucian Ethics A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy,and Community [9] JOHN KEKES .,A Case for Conservatism.Cornell University Press [10]Radin Max, The Rivalry of Common-Law and Civil Law Ideas in the American Colonies,New York:New York University Press,1937. [11] MelvinJ.Thorne, American Conservative Thought since World War II, Westport: greenwood press,1990. [12] Hume, David, David Fate Norton, Mary J Norton, and David Fate Norton. 2014. A Treatise Of Human Nature. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [13] Liu Yang, Hume's Conservative View of Reason, Journal of Central South University (Social Science Edition), Vol. 2 1, No.2,2 0 1 5. https://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-ZLXS201502005.htm |
| Předběžná náplň práce |
| Introduction
Chapter 1: Overview of Western Conservatism 1. The sources of Western conservatism thought 2. Historical background of Western Conservatism thought 3 .Three characteristics of Western Conservatism thought Chapter 2: Overview of Confucianism 1.The source of Confucianism 2.The historical background of Confucianism 3.The basic content of Confucianism Chapter 3: The Conservative Dimension of the Chinese Confucian Political Tradition 1. From the dimension of the Orderism 1)The Confucian political ethics and morality 2)The Confucian concept of social community 3)Understanding of human nature 2. From the dimension of the formalism 1）"Ritual governance" 2) “Formal name” 3) Rule of man and rule of law 3. From the dimension of the Empiricism 1）“Golden mean” 2）The thinking mode of “impartial” Chapter 4 Democracy or Centralization? Conclusion References / Bibliography |
| Předběžná náplň práce v anglickém jazyce |
| Introduction
Chapter 1: Overview of Western Conservatism 1. The sources of Western conservatism thought 2. Historical background of Western Conservatism thought 3 .Three characteristics of Western Conservatism thought Chapter 2: Overview of Confucianism 1.The source of Confucianism 2.The historical background of Confucianism 3.The basic content of Confucianism Chapter 3: The Conservative Dimension of the Chinese Confucian Political Tradition 1. From the dimension of the Orderism 1)The Confucian political ethics and morality 2)The Confucian concept of social community 3)Understanding of human nature 2. From the dimension of the formalism 1）"Ritual governance" 2) “Formal name” 3) Rule of man and rule of law 3. From the dimension of the Empiricism 1）“Golden mean” 2）The thinking mode of “impartial” Chapter 4 Democracy or Centralization? Conclusion References / Bibliography |