Where
Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 520N
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact
Susan Cox
Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
617-495-1336
susan@ethics.harvard.edu
Faculty Seminar with Joseph Chan - "Democratic Equality and Confucian Hierarchy"
We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a seminar with Joseph Chan, who will join us from Hong Kong to present his paper, "Democratic Equality and Confucian Hierarchy." Archon Fung will be the discussant. This event is co-sponsored with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, May 23 3:00-5:00pm
LOCATION: Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
NOTE: The paper will be circulated one week in advance to all seminar participants.
Joseph Chan is professor of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. A leading scholar in Confucian political theory and perfectionism, Chan has published many path-breaking articles in journals such as Philosophy and Public Affairs, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, History of Political Thought, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, and Philosophy East and West, among others. His recent book, Confucian Perfectionism: A Political Philosophy for Modern Times (Princeton University Press, 2014), proposes a novel normative theory called “moderate Confucian perfectionism,” which justifies the perfectionist promotion of the Confucian conception of the good life in a way that is compatible with pluralism, human rights, and personal and moral autonomy. Chan is currently working on a new book project that aims to critically examine the moral foundations of the democratic ideals of popular sovereignty, political equality, and the right to vote and offer an alternative normative theory, at the heart of which lie political meritocracy and certain forms of morally justifiable hierarchy.