Confucian Democracy and a Pluralistic Li-Ki Metaphysics

Hyo-Dong Lee

doi:10.3390/rel9110325

Abstract

This essay explores the possible constructive role of a Confucian metaphysics in the pluralistic Confucian-democratic context of South Korea. In his recent landmark study, Sungmoon Kim has argued that South Korean democracy is sustained by a public culture of civility that is grounded in Confucian habits and mores and yet is pluralistic in ethos. I appreciatively interrogate Kim’s thesis in order to advance a claim that a comprehensive Confucian doctrine such as Confucian metaphysics can contribute significantly to the flourishing of Confucian democratic public culture, provided that it affirm a pluralistic ontology. I contend that the tradition of Korean Neo-Confucian li-ki metaphysics, particularly one found in the works of Nongmun Im Seong-ju, offers rich resources for a pluralistic ontology despite its history of ethical monism. By putting Nongmun’s thought in conversation with some of the contemporary critiques of the Schmittian (mis-)appropriation of the notion of popular sovereignty, I outline a pluralized version of the Rousseauian general will—a kind of critically affectionate solidarity of diverse groups of people—that is Confucian in character. My claim is that such a critically affectionate solidarity finds its grounds in and draws its nourishment from a pluralistic Confucian ontology.

Highlights

IntroductionGiven the spate of political drama that has unfolded in South Korea in the last few years, it is probably safe to assume that the nation has become a flourishing democracy, in a formal, procedural sense of the term and in a substantive manner, encompassing the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of South Korean society
I contend that the tradition of Korean Neo-Confucian li-ki metaphysics, one found in the works of Nongmun Im Seong-ju, offers rich resources for a pluralistic ontology despite its history of ethical monism
By putting Nongmun’s thought in conversation with some of the contemporary critiques of the Schmittianappropriation of the notion of popular sovereignty, I outline a pluralized version of the Rousseauian general will—a kind of critically affectionate solidarity of diverse groups of people—that is Confucian in character

Summary

Introduction

Given the spate of political drama that has unfolded in South Korea in the last few years, it is probably safe to assume that the nation has become a flourishing democracy, in a formal, procedural sense of the term and in a substantive manner, encompassing the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of South Korean society. The voices representing the human rights of oppressed and marginalized people—foremost among them feminist and LGBTQI—are increasingly asserting themselves in the public square and the media landscape, most prominently igniting a #MeToo movement directed against prominent politicians, business leaders, intellectuals and more This kind of momentous historical development, does not spring out of nowhere. Many studies have been conducted in the last decade or so on what role, if any, Confucianism has played in the successful democratization of South Korea and the establishment of constitutionalism in the nation.. Many studies have been conducted in the last decade or so on what role, if any, Confucianism has played in the successful democratization of South Korea and the establishment of constitutionalism in the nation.1 It is beyond the scope of this essay to investigate the possible historical causal relations between the Korean Confucian tradition and the democratic transformation of South Korea. Confucianism and democracy, namely the question of the possibility of a Confucian democracy. I will explore possible contributions that Confucianism as a comprehensive doctrine could make for the flourishing of a pluralistic democracy. For that purpose, I will center my discussion on the tradition of so-called Neo-Confucian “moral metaphysics” (Tu 1982, p. 10) and ask what role it may play in developing a robust theory of Confucian democracy

Confucian Democracy and “Religious” Confucianism

Neo-Confucian Moral Metaphysics

Toward a Pluralistically Comprehensive Doctrine of Confucian Democracy