Confucianism and Democracy: Citizens, Princes, Individuals

In this article we focus on the question of whether democracy is compatible with the point of view that, according to general opinion, is at the very core of Chinese culture: Confucianism. This point of view is analysed in its contextual frame as well as within itself comparing it with the concept of democracy. The conclusion is that democracy is foreign to Confucianism and, by extension, to Chinese culture. Ultimately, however, democracy is not necessarily incompatible with that perspective. It is possible to imagine a synthesis between them.