Abstract

This dissertation attempts to show that the Chinese political tradition is in crisis. The tradition presupposes that one man and only one man has the right to rule. Because of this presupposition, authoritarianism has been the political system in China. Maoism is but a modern incarnation of the tradition. ;This system persistently confronts such national disasters as the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese ideas of rule by virtue and rule by fa were designed to prevent or to eliminate this type of problem. But none of them works. The system can run well only if the ruler is a godlike person. Humans, however, are not gods and, in a position of power, are not even likely to be godlike. The Chinese system has no procedure to guarantee that the ruler is godlike and, if he is not, that he can be removed rationally and without violence. ;The Chinese political tradition is, accordingly, in need of reconstruction. The first step in this task is to explore how a rational procedure that can effectively prevent rulers from doing damage to the good of the community can be philosophically justified and practically established. The Greek political tradition is the model I recommend in reconstructing the Chinese political system. This tradition presupposes that citizens share in governing. The needed rational procedure for controlling and removing rulers can be justified by this presupposition. It also makes the rule of law possible. Moreover, the Greek tradition provides a framework in which public policy debates can be undertaken. If the notion of one man's rule is replaced by the conception of shared rule, the other, valuable elements of the Chinese tradition can be preserved