De mo c ra tic e q ua lity o r Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hy? Jo se - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

De mo c ra tic e q ua lity o r Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hy? Jo se ph Cha n Sympo sium in L e g a l T he o ry, NUS L a w Sc ho o l

2 Hie ra rc hy a nd e q ua lity  Hie ra rc hy a nd e q ua lity pe r se a re ne ithe r pro b le ma tic no r pra ise wo rthy.  T he y a re g o o d o r b a d , rig ht o r wro ng , o nly inso fa r a s the y a re struc ture d a nd o pe ra te d in wa ys tha t a ffe c t pe o ple ’ s we llb e ing a nd virtue a nd e xpre ss c e rta in kind s o f re la tio nship.

3 So c ia l e q ua lity  So c ia l e q ua lity o r so c ia l e g a lita ria nism: Va rio us g o o d s a re to b e d istrib ute d in o rd e r to se c ure a so c ie ty in whic h pe o ple are re late d as e q uals .  E liza b e th Ande rso n, Da vid Mille r, Sa mue l Sc he ffle r, a nd o the rs

4 So c ia l e q ua lity  So c ia l e g a lita ria ns ha ve a ime d the ir c ritiq ue s a t ma ny diffe re nt type s o f so c ia l hie ra rc hy.  E liza b e th Ande rso n

5 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  Hie ra rc hie s o f do minatio n o r c o mmand  “tho se o c c upying infe rio r po sitio ns a re sub je c t to the a rb itra ry, una c c o unta b le a utho rity o f so c ia l supe rio rs a nd the re b y ma de po we rle ss.”  E .g . sla ve ry, mo na rc hy, pa tria rc ha l ma rria g e , a nd c a pita list wa g e re la tio ns

6 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  Hie ra rc hie s o f e ste e m ,  “tho se o c c upying infe rio r po sitio ns a re stig ma tize d,”  b e ing tre a te d a s “o b je c ts o f disho no r, c o nte mpt, disg ust, fe a r, o r ha tre d”

7 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  Hie ra rc hie s o f standing  g ive spe c ia l we ig ht to the inte re sts o f tho se o c c upying supe rio r so c ia l po sitio ns in de c isio n-ma king .  the supe rio rs e njo y g re a te r rig hts, privile g e s, o ppo rtunitie s, o r b e ne fits tha n the ir ma rg ina lize d infe rio rs

8 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  So c ia l hie ra rc hie s a re unjust b y d e finitio n – b a se d o n a sc riptive g ro up id e ntitie s.  But the re is no re a so n why hie ra rc hy must b e so na rro wly a nd pe jo ra tive ly d e fine d .  A ne utra l d e finitio n: “a so c ia l re la tio nship tha t ra nks its pa rtic ipa nts with re spe c t to the ir re la tive po sse ssio n o f a va lue d fe a ture .”

9 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  F e a ture s:  info rma l o r fo rma l g ro up  dura b le inte ra c tio n a mo ng the pa rtic ipa nts  ra nking o f pa rtic ipa nts ma y b e implic it o r e xplic it  the va lue d fe a ture re fe rs to c e rta in c o mpe te nc e o r e xc e lle nc e de sire d b y the so c ia l re la tio nship  T he hig he r-ra nke d ha ve mo re po we r o r sta tus

10 So c ia l hie ra rc hie s  An une q ua l distrib utio n o f e ste e m a s suc h is no t ye t a hie ra rc hy o f e ste e m  A b e ne vo le nt e ste e m hie ra rc hy:  tho se in the hig he r ra nks a re c o mmitte d to the b e tte rme nt o f tho se in the lo we r ra nks.  re c ipro c ity and mutual c o mmitme nt to e xc e lle nc e s a s c o mmo n g o o ds  Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hie s pre suppo se two e le me nts

11 Co nfuc ia n pe rfe c tio nism  So c ie ty a nd po litic s e xist fo r the g o o d life o f pe o ple  E a c h pe rso n ha s wo rth, b e c a use e a c h the po te ntia l to b e c o me fully huma n  E a c h pe rso n’ s life ma tte rs a nd e a c h pe rso n sho uld ha ve o ppo rtunitie s to le a rn a nd pursue his o r he r g o o d life .

12 So c ie ty a s a c o mmunity o f le a rne rs  T he pursuit o f the g o o d life re q uire s inte llig e nt le a rning , whic h is a life -lo ng pro c e ss.  In re a lity, it is ine vita b le tha t so me pe o ple a re a he a d o f o the rs in le a rning .  T he c o rre c t re spo nse to this fa c t is to no t to c e le b rate o r c o nde mn it, b ut make g o o d use o f it fo r the c o mmo n pursuit o f the g o o d life .  So c ie ty is vie we d a s a c o mmunity o f le a rne rs who ta ke pa rt in the c o lle c tive pursuit o f the g o o d life .

13 Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hie s o f le a rning  ma rke d b y re c ipro c ity a nd mutual c o nc e rn  the mo re a dva nc e d c a re fo r ( ai ) the le ss a dva nc e d, he lp the m le a rn, a nd sho w a ppre c ia tio n o f the le ss a dva nc e d’ s ta le nts a nd e ffo rts  the le ss a dva nc e d re spe c t a nd a dmire ( jing ) the mo re a dva nc e d a nd le a rn fro m the m  A hie ra rc hic a l re la tio nship b a se d o n this mutua l c o mmitme nt c a n b e de e ply satisfying a nd c o nduc ive to e a c h pa rtic ipa nt’ s g o o d life

14 Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hie s o f le a rning  Inte rna l e le me nts tha t pre ve nt Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hie s fro m d e g e ne ra tio n  (1) Virtue – the virtuo us will no t se e k to o ppre ss o r humilia te o the rs  (2) L e a rning is a c tive , d yna mic , b o th wa y, e mpha sis o n e nlig hte nme nt ; c ha ng ing , no n-c o mpo und e d hie ra rc hie s

15 Co nfuc ia n diffe re nc e princ iple  (3) Upwa rd Ine q ualitie s:  Ine q ua litie s o f sta tus a nd po we r inte g ra l to the se hie ra rc hie s a re a c c e pta b le to the e xte nt tha t the y a re  (1) e mb e dde d in re la tio nships o f re c ipro c ity, mutua l c o nc e rn, a nd virtue  (2) c o nduc ive to the le ss a dva nc e d’ s le a rning a nd the c o ntinuo us de ve lo pme nts o f huma n e xc e lle nc e s a nd virtue s.

16 Co nfuc ia n diffe re nc e princ iple  Ra wls: e c o no mic e q ua lity is the no rma tive de fa ult a nd ine q ua lity is a c c e pta b le to the e xte nt tha t it b e ne fits the wo rst o ff.  Co nfuc ia nism, whe n it c o me s to le a rning , e q ua lity is no t the de fa ult a nd ine q ua lity is no t to b ring a b o ut e q ua lity.  A Co nfuc ia n me nto r do e sn’ t simply wa nt his me nte e to g ro w a nd b e c o me his e q ua l, b ut wa nts his me nte e to surpass him.

17 Co nfuc ia n diffe re nc e princ iple  stag nant e q uality and ine q uality in le a rning a re b o th b a d  upward ine q uality (i.e . pro g re ss tha t upse ts initia l e q ua lity) is g o o d  T ha t the stud e nt surpa sse s his te a c he r is no t o nly g o o d fo r the stud e nt b ut a lso d e e ply sa tisfying to the te a c he r.

18 Co nfuc ia n c o nc e ptio n o f le a rning  In re a lity, no t a ll o f the mo re a d va nc e d in a hie ra rc hy a re virtuo us, the re sho uld b e me c ha nisms to pro te c t the le ss a d va nc e d .  F o rma l hie ra rc hy with c he c ks a nd b a la nc e s  E xit rig hts  Co mpla ints rig hts  E xte rna l c he c ks  E xa mple : g ra dua te stude nts – supe rviso rs re la tio nships

19 Co nfuc ia n diffe re nc e princ iple  T he se me a sure s ne e d no t b e mo tiva te d b y e g alitarian impulse s  no t a im to pro vide e q ua l po we rs, e q ua l sta tus, o r e q ua l vo ic e s to the le ss a dva nc e d.

20 De mo c ra tic e q ua lity  So c ia l e g a lita ria ns: Co nfuc ia n hie ra rc hie s o f le a rning c o nfine d to c ivil so c ie ty ma y b e o ka y.  But wo uld sure ly o b je c t if yo u e xte nd the m to the sphe re o f po litic s  de mo c ra tic e q ua lity is the o nly a c c e pta b le re la tio nship in tha t sphe re .

21 De mo c ra tic e q ua lity: the rig ht  “De mo c ra tic e q ua lity d e no te s a kind o f sta nd ing in c ivil so c ie ty to ma ke c la ims o n o the rs”  “E a c h a d ult a c tive ly re c o g nize s e ve ryo ne ’ s e q ual autho rity to ma ke c la ims c o nc e rning the rule s und e r whic h a ll sha ll live a nd c o o pe ra te ”  Cla ims a s po we r  E liza b e th Ande rso n

22 Co nfuc ia n po litic a l a utho rity  Po litic a l po we r o r rig hts a s a tta c he d to this a utho rity a re justifie d b y two c o nd itio ns:  Se rvic e c o nditio n  E xpre ssive c o nditio n

23 Co nfuc ia n po litic a l a utho rity  A c o ro lla ry o f the se rvic e c o nd itio n:  a ll po litic a l rig hts a nd o ffic e s must me e t the se rvic e c o nditio n.  No c itize n is e ntitle d to a ny “se lf-o rig ina ting ” rig ht to ma ke c la ims a s po we r o r a sa y in c o lle c tive de c isio n-ma king .  F o r Co nfuc ia ns, po litic a l rig ht is a first a nd fo re mo st a re spo nsib ility, no t a privile g e .

24  T o se e the spe c ia l na ture o f po litic a l rig hts, c o mpa re the m with pe rso na l rig hts o f a no n-po litic a l kind (e .g . rig ht no t to b e to rture d )  A pe rso nal rig ht pro je c ts the rig ht-ho lde r’ s funda me nta l inte re sts a g a inst ha rm fro m o the rs  A po litic al rig ht g ive s the rig ht-ho lde r the po we r to dire c t the live s o f o the rs.  Pe rso na l rig hts: pro te c tive  Po litic a l rig hts: dire c tive