Confucian Thesis of Moral Politics and its Development

Abstract

This paper aims to examine Confucian thesis of moral politics. By comparing three types of administration, Confucius’ thoughts on the problematics of moral politics are analyzed in more detail, highlighting the inner tension between the moral and the political. The difficulty of the concept is shown by discussing its development so that the validity question can be brought to the fore. In order to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the moral politics, it is necessary to first address three distinct approaches to its development. We call the consanguinity-based system of administration of the Western Zhou feudal system Lĭ-Chìh (禮治). This implies using the rites (禮) as the primary means of state governance. Comparatively speaking, the morality-governed administrative method is known as Dé-Chìh (德治). The third, Fă-Chìh (法治), denotes that laws are the basis for state governance. The interdependence of rites, morals, and law makes it impossible to simply divide the three modes of administration. The theory of moral politics offers new avenues for development since China adopted the democratic system. A group of Chinese academics known as the New Confucians attempted to integrate this theory with the democratic system in the early 20th century in an attempt to find a fresh approach to the theory’s application issue. This theory still revolves around Dé-Chìh. Fă-Chìh’s authenticity is amply verified. The New Confucians regard the conflict between Dé-Chíh and Dé-Chìh as a dialectical evolution.

Keywords

• confucianism
• morality
• rituals and rites in politics
• fă-chìh
• lĭ-chìh
• dé-chìh