Moore, T. (2024) Is Confucianism compatible with a Laclauian conception of democracy? Asian Studies, 12 (2). pp. 195-220. ISSN 2232-5131
Abstract
This paper will introduce a novel perspective on Confucian democracy by connecting it with Ernesto Laclau’s (2005) conception of democracy in On Populist Reason. Specifically, I argue that the normatively ideal ruler-ruled relationship in Confucian political theory can be conceptualized as the people making a radical investment in a virtuous leader. This argument will proceed in several steps. Firstly, I will provide context surrounding Confucianism and Laclau’s (2005) novel political ontology. Secondly, I will draw on the psychoanalytic work of Jacques Lacan (2001) to explore the notion of a radical investment and how it can be appealed to by politicians, rhetoricians and philosophers through their use of empty signifiers, signifiers without a fixed conceptual signified (such as MAGA or “Take Back Control”). In Laclau’s application of Lacanian psychoanalysis these represent an unachievable full harmonious community with no conflicts between different interests. I will then argue that a core part of Confucius’ political message, his constant advocacy for a virtuous ruler modelled on the Sage-Kings of the Zhou dynasty, is essentially a Laclauian conception of politics, because the Zhou kings are playing the role of empty signifiers in Confucius’ political theory. That is, they represent an unachievable ideal of a fully harmonious community. Finally, I argue that this increases Confucianism’s potential for compatibility with democracy since these psychoanalytic dynamics could be replicable in modern democracies and would be normatively desirable should a virtuous leader utilize them.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 Thomas Moore. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Confucianism; democracy; virtue; ruler; Laclau |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > Department of Philosophy (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Arts and Humanities Research Council 2752326 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 14 Feb 2025 15:32 |
Last Modified: | 14 Feb 2025 15:32 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2024.12.2.195-220 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | University of Ljubljana |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.4312/as.2024.12.2.195-220 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:223349 |