Democracy after Virtue
Toward Pragmatic Confucian Democracy
Sungmoon Kim
Reviews and Awards
2019 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title
"Is it possible to be committed to both Confucianism and democracy? If not, which should have priority in cases of conflict? Political theorists have heatedly debated these questions over the last few decades. Sungmoon Kim has emerged as one of the most original voices in these debates, and he defends his views with rigor and erudition." - Daniel A. Bell, Shandong University, Perspectives on Politics
"[Democracy After Virtue] takes on the ambitious task of reconstructing pragmatic Confucian democracy, which integrates three components—political participation, the value of democracy, and procedure and substance." - Baogang He, Political Theory
"This book's contributions to questions important to the quest for Confucian democracy make it required reading for those in the field." - Andrew Lambert, CUNY College of Staten Island, Review of Politics
"With the increased scholarly attention devoted to comparative political theory, this volume serves as a much- needed refinement of Confucian political thought... The first part of the book presents an overview of the author's own interpretation of the most vital version of this stream of political thought, which is described as pragmatic Confucian democracy. Chapters 2 and 3 evaluate the importance of democracy theory to Asian political thought, compare Schumpeter to Dewey, and examine the necessary balance between procedure and values. The second part of the book offers a study of pragmatic Confucian democracy in relation to specific policy concerns, including criminal justice challenges, economics, and humanitarian intervention." - H. L. Cheek Jr., East Georgia State College