- Confucian politcal theory, democratic political theory, and constitutional political theory - Essay Example

He was of the opinion that overall degeneration of political institutions during his time was primarily because people that were unworthy of various positions of power had occupied those seats and thus the first step in proper administration would be “zhengming” which actually means making people aware of the ethically and morally accepted codes of conduct that are associated with each and every position of governance. Confucius insisted that this sort of awareness should begin at the top of the administrative pyramid with the king or ruler becoming the first individual to become aware of what is expected of him.

Once the king becomes aware of his responsibilities, his subordinates would automatically act in a virtuous way. (Confucius) Confucius prescribed “li” or rituals as the way to acquire these virtues. These rituals included sacrificial rites performed at ancestral temples, ceremonies of enfeoffment, toasting, and exchange of gifts between aristocracies of different city states and acts of politeness and decorum. All these activities also brought the ruling classes of these city states closer to each other and bound them in a web of obligation and indebtedness that came in very handy in the turbulent times of Confucius. (Riegel) Democracy in its most generalized notion is a method of group decision making that is characterized by a kind of equality among the participants in the decision making process.

This definition has four aspects or consequences. The first among them is that democracy implies collective decision making and once the decision has been made it becomes binding on all members of the group. Secondly, diverse groups can be democratic, right from families to global organizations. Thirdly, this definition of democracy does in no way infer that it is the most superior form of governance. Fourthly, the notion of equality may vary from group to group. While equality in one group might simply mean one-person-one-vote it might