INDIVIDUAL-STATE RELATIONSHIP FROM EAST TO WEST THROUGH COLLECTIVITIES: THE SOCIAL INDIVIDUAL IN CONFUCIAN, HEGELIAN, AND COMMUNITARIAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES
INDIVIDUAL-STATE RELATIONSHIP FROM EAST TO WEST THROUGH COLLECTIVITIES: THE SOCIAL INDIVIDUAL IN CONFUCIAN, HEGELIAN, AND COMMUNITARIAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to analyze the nature of the individual-state relationship from a descriptive approach and a holistic perspective. The importance attributed to the sociality of the individual is embedded in both Eastern and Western political philosophies. The position of the individual vis-à-vis the state and other social structures depends on the philosophical understanding of the period and context. The emphasis on the sociality of the individual, which is put forward in the critique of classical liberalism’s perception of the individual is also observed in Confucian ethics and Hegel’s philosophical approach and thus implies a linear understanding. Especially since the last quarter of the 20th century, liberal communitarians have revived the debate by criticizing classical liberal conception of the individual. In contrast to classical liberalism’s understanding of transcendental individual who is free from social/collective features, liberal communitarians highlight the significance of social ties and structures. Recognizing the importance of the individual’s collective ties, this study examines the individual’s relationship with collective structures, especially the state, in Confucianism, Hegelian political thought, and communitarianism and argues that the relationship between the two has been a subject of constant debate from past to present.

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