Confucianism and Liberty

Hats off to Sam Crane for correcting the assertion made by one Jiang Rong that "Confucianism wants people to become sheep" and that it is "autocratic, totalitarian and dictatorial" — Confucianism doesn't make people sheep, Legalism does. Professor Crane explains:

Confucianism, especially in its Mencian guise, creates a moral standard, Humanity, that stands apart from imperial power and should be used to judge the actions of the Emperor. Those in power should not, from a Confucian point of view, rule in a manner that contradicts Humanity. And if they do rule inhumanely, then junzi (those people who work to cultivate and reproduce Humanity) are duty-bound to point out the ruler's flaws.

Confucianism thus creates a moral framework that inspires political critique. Good Confucians do not sheepishly follow bad rulers; rather, they speak out against inhumanity.

Mindless obedience to law and power is, of course, a product of Legalism. Harsh punishments ruthlessly inflicted upon the populace creates a fearful acceptance of political authority. And that's what the institutionalization of Legalism produced over the centuries in China. Indeed, it is no coincidence that Mao, the grand orchestrator of the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, also saw himself as a modern-day Qin. The Cultural Revolution was deeply anti-Confucian. Mao's politics were much more Legalist, precisely in the manner that Jiang stipulates: "autocratic, totalitarian and dictatorial."