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Chinese Political Elite's Thoughts on Democracy : The Influence and Limits of Confucian Political Culture

Bongsu Shin 1

1고려대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The existing studies of Chinese regime transformation in politics focus to the casual relationship between economic development and western liberal democracy, that is, whether the latter is affected by the former or not. These studies depended on the western epistemological tradition were so articulated scientific laws that value was forced into belonging to the domain of religion and epistemology into belonging to the domain of science. The reason of absenting such epistemological tradition in China, contrary to the western, is related with Confucianism. Because it has moral and normative nature, so that it is contrary to western epistemological tradition which has separated value and fact. This paper explores influences and limits of Confucian political culture which has affected the Chinese political elites' thinking on democracy. In sum, it concludes that China's political elites have understood democracy based on not institutional but moral fact.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.