Just Hierarchy: Why Social Hierarchies Matter in China and the Rest of the World

by Daniel A. Bell, Wang Pei

Overview

A trenchant defense of hierarchy in different spheres of our lives, from the personal to the political

All complex and large-scale societies are organized along certain hierarchies, but the concept of hierarchy has become almost taboo in the modern world. Just Hierarchy contends that this stigma is a mistake. In fact, as Daniel Bell and Wang Pei show, it is neither possible nor advisable to do away with social hierarchies. Drawing their arguments from Chinese thought and culture as well as other philosophies and traditions, Bell and Wang ask which forms of hierarchy are justified and how these can serve morally desirable goals. They look at ways of promoting just forms of hierarchy while minimizing the influence of unjust ones, such as those based on race, sex, or caste.

Which hierarchical relations are morally justified and why? Bell and Wang argue that it depends on the nature of the social relation and context. Different hierarchical principles ought to govern different kinds of social relations: what justifies hierarchy among intimates is different from what justifies hierarchy among citizens, countries, humans and animals, and humans and intelligent machines. Morally justified hierarchies can and should govern different spheres of our social lives, though these will be very different from the unjust hierarchies that have governed us in the past.

A vigorous, systematic defense of hierarchy in the modern world, Just Hierarchy examines how hierarchical social relations can have a useful purpose, not only in personal domains but also in larger political realms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691239545
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Daniel A. Bell is dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University in Qingdao. His previous books include The China Model (Princeton). Wang Pei is assistant professor at the China Institute at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition vii

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction 1

1 What's Wrong with Hierarchy? 8

2 In Defense of Hierarchy 13

3 From China to the World 21

1 Just Hierarchy between Intimates: On the Importance of Shifting Roles 29

1 Relations with Friends 31

2 Relations with Lovers 36

3 Relations with Family Members 45

4 Relations with Housekeepers 55

2 Just Hierarchy between Citizens: On the Importance of Service 66

1 Justifying Hierarchical Political Rule in the Chinese Context 68

2 Is It Possible to Limit Political Power without Competitive Elections? 78

3 Political Meritocracy as the Problem, Political Meritocracy as the Solution 84

4 Justifying a Hierarchical Political System to Those Outside the System 93

3 Just Hierarchy between States: On the Need for Reciprocity 106

1 Hierarchical Ideals of Global Order in Ancient India 111

2 Hierarchical Ideals of Global Order in Ancient China 117

3 One World, Two Hierarchical Systems? 129

4 Just Hierarchy between Humans and Animals: Subordination without Cruelty 143

1 Are Animals Our Equals? 144

2 Domesticated Animals: Subordination with Care 154

3 Eating Animals: Subordination with Humane Exploitation 166

5 Just Hierarchy between Humans and Machines: On the Need for a Master-Slave Relation 177

1 Marx on Machines 179

2 The Role of Confucian Role Ethics 187

3 Silicon Valley vs. the Chinese Communist Party 198

Notes 207

Selected Bibliography 249

Index 263

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"In this ardent, thought-provoking, and deeply engaging book, Bell and Wang show that the choice we face is not between societies with or without hierarchies, but between unjust hierarchies based on unjust power structures and just hierarchies that serve moral purposes. Just Hierarchy is an important step toward new conversations about how to have a good society."—Anna Sun, author of Confucianism as a World Religion

"Just Hierarchy will enrage some and comfort others, but most of all, it will provoke reflection. What, exactly, is wrong with hierarchy, and how can this be avoided? What are the characteristics of a ‘just hierarchy,’ which Bell and Wang argue we should embrace? Through a range of contexts, this eminently readable book offers answers."—Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University

"That all human beings are equal is the holiest principle for Western progressives. Disrupting this consensus, Bell and Wang make a strong case for just hierarchies, inspired by the Confucian tradition. They're not arguing for patriarchs, kings, slaveholders, or Aryan supermen, but for social rankings based on merit and moral distinction. Bell and Wang force us to critically rethink our egalitarian commitments and face our hypocrisies as we rail against hierarchies, whether at the Oxford high table, the exclusive beach resort, the corporate boardroom, or other spaces grounded in our own ubiquitous pecking orders."—Carlos Fraenkel, author of Teaching Plato in Palestine

"This book is so brilliant because it asks the question nobody has asked. Many people, including myself, have written about equality and why we should embrace it. But nobody has written about what kind of hierarchies could still be legitimate, even just. I get really excited when I read research that reframes a question and looks at a topic from a very different perspective. Bell and Wang have done a tremendous job."—Avner de-Shalit, coauthor of Disadvantage

"Daniel and Pei, a pair of philosophers, ‘progressive conservatives,’ walk into a Chinese dining room in Shandong, China, and start discussing the usual, often Confucian, rationale behind who sits where and why. And even before they can deconfuse you on when to start drinking, and with whom, how, and how long, you too will be thinking about what kind of moral justification for hierarchical culture is possible. Gently provocative and lucidly presented, this conversation starter of a book is a unique work of anthropological philosophy."—Kyoo Lee, City University of New York

"Just Hierarchy is intellectually very stimulating. It invites us to revisit some of our most entrenched assumptions about the notion of hierarchy. The book is clear, easy to read, entertaining, and extremely topical."—Jean-Marc Coicaud, Rutgers University

"Issues of hierarchy and equality are major contemporary concerns, with the predominant voice arguing for equality and against hierarchy. This provocative and significant book goes against that trend and makes a distinctive move in defending hierarchy. Persuasively making its case from crosscultural perspectives, Just Hierarchy is nevertheless controversial and will cause serious debate."—Chenyang Li, author of The Confucian Philosophy of Harmony

Editorial Reviews

"This well-organized and well-written book raises important questions concerning the nature of social hierarchies worldwide, but especially in China and in relation to Eastern philosophical traditions including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. . . . Just Hierarchy is highly recommended for both disciplinary and interdisciplinary college courses, and will be an important acquisition for most academic libraries."

Choice Reviews

"Might China’s meritocratic system, and its implicit commitments to hierarchy, be the secret of its extraordinary success?. . . Daniel Bell and Pei Wang’s Just Hierarchy is a colorful exploration of the moral justifications behind elements of China’s success."—-Chang Che, Los Angeles Review of Books

"[W]ritten in crystalline, engaging prose. . . . [Just Hierarchy] makes the most compelling case ever made in English for a Confucian reform of social and political values in China and perhaps elsewhere."—-James Hankins, American Affairs

"There is little doubt that, despite the restrictions imposed by living in an increasingly illiberal authoritarian state, the hearts of the authors of Just Hierarchy are in the right place. Everyone recognizes that our world is defined by hierarchies, regardless of our rhetoric. Millennia of Confucian thought have attempted to humanize and moderate those hierarchies, precisely to protect the most vulnerable and make moral the most powerful."—-Michael Auslin, Law and Liberty

"Just Hierarchy is an original and bold project."—-Elena Ziliotti, Res Publica

"Daniel Bell and Wang Pei’s Just Hierarchy: Why Social Hierarchies Matter in China and the Rest of the World provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking justification for hierarchy, a concept that has been given virtually no attention in recent political science and political theory."—-Sungmoon Kim, Perspectives on Politics

"Bell and Wang’s Just Hierarchy is a remarkable contribution to the newly emerging world order, which necessitates expanding the mutual understanding and moving away from Eurocentric socio-cultural prejudices."—-Dr. Müge Yüce, The Rest Journal

"[An] ambitious and daring intellectual endeavor."—-Shanruo Zhang, Journal of Chinese Humanities

From the Publisher