''Against Political Equality: The Confucian Case'' is a 2019 book by Tongdong Bai in which the author advocates a domestic governance that is influenced by

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

, possessing both meritocratic characteristics and democratic elements. Bai argues that

egalitarianism Egalitarianism (; also equalitarianism) is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

and its analogous system of

liberal democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...

sometimes conflict with good governance and the protection of liberties, and that restriction of democracy is necessary for preservation of liberty.

Reception

In ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', Rana Mitter billed ''Against Political Equality'' as a "powerful and lively ontributionto a major debate that has a long way to go."

References

2019 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books in political philosophy Confucian texts English-language non-fiction books Political theories Social theories Princeton University Press books {{poli-philo-book-stub