| Confucian Perfectionism Subjects: RELIGION / Confucianism.; PHILOSOPHY / Political.; POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory.; Philosophy Chinese.; Confucianism; Political science; Since the very beginning, Confucianism has been troubled by a serious gap between its political ideals and the reality of societal circumstances. Contemporary Confucians must develop a viable method of governance that can retain the spirit of the Confucian ideal while tackling problems arising from nonideal modern situations. The best way to meet this challenge, Joseph Chan argues, is to adopt liberal democratic institutions that are shaped by the Confucian conception of the good rather than the liberal conception of the right. Joseph Chan is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. |