Abstract

Li Zehou’s claim that “harmony is higher than justice” (和諧高於正義) has aroused much discussion. This paper examines Li’s claim, treating it as a critique of liberal individualism, and explores some difficulties with his argument. In particular, following traditional Confucian thought, certain emotions are attached to specific relationships, creating relatively fixed patterns of emotional response. This suggests problems of oppression and anachronism. Seeking to avoid these difficulties, the paper explores how Li’s notion of harmony might be further developed by bringing together two prominent themes in Li’s work. These are guanxi or relational attachment, which Li elevates to the level of guiding doctrine or “ism” (guanxi-zhuyi 關係主義), and aesthetic value and experience. Placing guanxi networks at the center of practical reason can promote the generation of aesthetic goods in everyday social interaction, and the steady daily accumulation of such goods constitutes a plausible conception of the good life. This honors Li’s interest in guanxi or relationality, and offers another way to substantiate the ideal of harmony, one which can be placed alongside individualism and its requisite justice.