Disagreement and Public Reason

Abstract

Abstract This chapter presents public reason Confucianism, a mode of Confucian democratic perfectionism in which a special style of public reason is affiliated with partially comprehensive Confucianism (i.e., civic Confucianism), as best suited to deal with moral disagreement. It shows that while encouraging citizens to cultivate public reasons with reference to Confucian mores, rituals, civilities, and moral sentiments, public reason Confucianism promotes active political participation and public deliberation in making important public decisions in a way consistent with the principle of egalitarian dignity. The result is what the author calls “democratic pluralism,” pluralism accommodated by democratic public reasons, and public reason Confucianism defends democratic pluralism as the most desirable way to come to terms with pluralism and disagreement in an East Asian constitutional democracy. In short, this chapter illuminates the “vertical” interaction between civic Confucianism and democratic values, principles, and institutions, which generates a distinctive mode of politics.