''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. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

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

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

and its analogous system of

liberal democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...

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 published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...

'',

Rana Mitter Shantashil Rajyeswar Mitter (born 1969), known as Rana Mitter, is a British historian and political scientist of Indian origin who specialises in the history of republican China. He is Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at ...

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 books Political theories Social theories Princeton University Press books {{poli-philo-book-stub