유교와 민주주의

Abstract

Recently, Samuel P. Huntington argues that Confucianism is hostile to democracy. So, he asserts that 'Confucian democracy' is contradictory in terms. In this paper, I will argue that Confucianism has lots of pro-democratic aspects both in theory and practice. That is, 'Confucian democracy' is not contradictory in terms. Confucianism is compatible with modern democracy. First of all, Confucian ultimate moral principle of shu(恕) implies the ideas of freedom and equality which are philosophical foundation of democracy. In other words, Shu(恕) as a moral decision method coincides with social contract model between free and equal individuals in the natural state in its logical structure. Next, Applying the principle of shu(恕) to political area, various ideals and philosophical foundation of democracy can be derived. We find these ideals and foundations in Confucianism affluently. Mencius' famous doctrine that 'People's opinion represents Heaven's mind' expresses ideal method of political decision making which is based on the principle of shu. This doctrine in its implication exactly matches with John Locke's doctrine that sovereignty rests with the people. Finally, we find abundant pro-democratic resources in practical dimension of political operation as well as in ideal and philosophical dimension. Firstly, civil service examination is one of examples. Various systems adopted to check the abuse of political power is the second example. Confucian tradition of freedom of speech is the third. Confucian emphasis on education is the fourth. Tolerance implied in Confucianism is the fifth examples of pro-democratic resources. In conclusion, there are lots of pro-democratic factors in Confucian political thought and its historical operation that can match with philosophical foundation of democracy and that can be developed into modern democratic systems.