Daniel Bell

A trenchant defense of hierarchy in different spheres of our lives, from the personal to the political All complex and large-scale societies are organized along certain hierarchies, but the concept of hierarchy has become almost taboo in the modern world. Just Hierarchy contends that this stigma is a mistake. In fact, as Daniel Bell and Wang Pei show, it is neither possible nor advisable to do away with social hierarchies. Drawing their arguments from Chinese thought and culture as well as other philosophies and traditions, Bell and Wang ask which forms of hierarchy are justified and how these can serve morally desirable goals. They look at ways of promoting just forms of hierarchy while minimizing the influence of unjust ones, such as those based on race, sex, or caste. Which hierarchical relations are morally justified and why? Bell and Wang argue that it depends on the nature of the social relation and context. Different hierarchical principles ought to govern different kinds of social relations: what justifies hierarchy among intimates is different from what justifies hierarchy among citizens, countries, humans and animals, and humans and intelligent machines. Morally justified hierarchies can and should govern different spheres of our social lives, though these will be very different from the unjust hierarchies that have governed us in the past. A vigorous, systematic defense of hierarchy in the modern world, Just Hierarchy examines how hierarchical social relations can have a useful purpose, not only in personal domains but also in larger political realms.

In this article we focus on three key precepts shared by Confucianism and the African ethic of Ubuntu: the central value of community, the desirability of ethical partiality, and the idea that we tend to become morally better as we grow older. For each of these broad similarities, there are key differences underlying them, and we discuss those as well as speculate about the reasons for them. Our aim is not to take sides, but we do suggest ways that Ubuntu and Confucianism might have something to learn from each other and perhaps come closer. We hope that our preliminary reflections can inspire further debate and thinking on a theme – dialogues between long-standing and large-scale non-Western traditions – that is bound to increase in importance as non-Western societies play a greater role in the global system and as the search continues for a 'global ethic'.

This was a rich and thought-provoking two-day meeting. It was composed of experts working in diverse traditions and naturally I learned more from traditions I knew less about. That said, I’ve been working on the Confucian tradition(s) for nearly three decades and still learned much about how debates in and about the Confucian tradition need to move forward, Relative newcomers to the ConfucianConfucian tradition asked pertinent questions that had been largely neglected by experts and I do think we need to answer such questions.

The topic for this session is ritual, civilityCivility, and harmony for good governance. Arguably, one of the most distinctive features of Confucianism as a cultural, philosophical, and political tradition is that it takes ritual really seriously. And in the Confucian tradition, ritual is important, especially in relation to civility and harmonyHarmony. Moreover, ritual as we understand it is one of the key valuesValues that define and undergird the ideas and practicesPractice not only of the Chinese society but also of Indian and Japanese societies.

This is an excellent book. It is the product of decades of reflection on the Confucian tradition and thinking about how it can be made relevant for contemporary societies. The book is meant to be accessible to newcomers to the tradition, and each chapter ends with questions for students, but it is also a treasure mine for experts, with some original theorizing in each chapter. The chapters on harmony, filial care, gender, and longevity are (to my mind) particularly insightful and should be required reading for anyone who works on these topics from a Confucian perspective. As a commentator, however, I have been entrusted with the task of providing some critical reflections, and I will focus on two chapters I find... Read More.

Which political system is appropriate for China in the foreseeable future? In this dialogue between two scholars with different interpretations of the Confucian tradition, Z hang Qianfan 張千帆 argues that political leaders should be selected by means of electoral democracy, whereas Daniel A. Bell argues that they should be selected according to superior ability and virtue. They justify their arguments by appealing to contrasting views on human nature, political culture, and the role of the state, and draw some practical implications from Confucian-inspired moral and political theories.

This article explores the influence of Confucianism on Anglo-American political theory. It describes two recent developments in contemporary Anglo-American political theory which have allowed for substantial engagement with Confucian political theory and may set the stage for further interest in East Asian political theory more generally. One is the communitarian critique of liberal universalism and the other is the feminist emphasis on the politics of the family. This article discusses East Asian contributions to the debate on universalism versus particularism and to the debate on family and justice.

This paper considers the economic effect of the Christian practice of forgiveness. In particular, the argument is that the gift of divine forgiveness in Christ, as articulated by Anselm, interrupts `economy' (with its logic of scarcity, debt, and finally death) and puts in place an aneconomic order (with its theo-logic of abundance, ceaseless generosity, and resurrection) that is full of the promise of deliverance from the affliction of capitalism. Also addressed here is the way that the human reception of divine forgiveness takes shape in the Works of Mercy, how these works are not rightly understood as `mere charity' at home within `economy' but in fact constitute the appearance of an order that heralds the end of economy, and, finally, how this practice of forgiveness redeems/ reconfigures what is commonly called `economic justice'