Interesting interview this morning on NPR. Jiang Rong is the author of Wolf Totem, a book which seems to open itself to various interpretations. I was taken by this comment of Jiang's from this morning's interview:
"Confucianism wants people to become sheep. Its central tenet is
obedience, following the emperor," Jiang explains. "In essence, the
political system during the Cultural Revolution was the same as that of
the last several thousand years: Both were autocratic, totalitarian and
dictatorial."
I disagree. Confucianism, especially in its Mencian guise, creates a moral standard, Humanity, that stands apart from imperial power and should be used to judge the actions of the Emperor. Those in power should not, from a Confucian point of view, rule in a manner that contradicts Humanity. And if they do rule inhumanely, then junzi (those people who work to cultivate and reproduce Humanity) are duty-bound to point out the ruler's flaws.
Confucianism thus creates a moral framework that inspires political critique. Good Confucians do not sheepishly follow bad rulers; rather, they speak out against inhumanity.
Mindless obedience to law and power is, of course, a product of Legalism. Harsh punishments ruthlessly inflicted upon the populace creates a fearful acceptance of political authority. And that's what the institutionalization of Legalism produced over the centuries in China. Indeed, it is no coincidence that Mao, the grand orchestrator of the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, also saw himself as a modern-day Qin. The Cultural Revolution was deeply anti-Confucian. Mao's politics were much more Legalist, precisely in the manner that Jiang stipulates: "autocratic, totalitarian and dictatorial."
The Useless Tree 
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