The Civilization State and Freedom   What do you mean, Chinese lack freedom?

Try reciting the Emma Lazarus poem when you are thousands of miles from home, in a group of friends who, in their deepest wish, would return to the US with you. Tomorrow you can get on the plane. For them it is forbidden.  “… Yearning to breathe free …”  Can you do it without a shudder and a tear? I couldn’t.

This section gets a little deep in political and moral psychology – not really my area. I’ve done quite a bit of reading, and I hope what follows will be sufficiently clear. The ideas are important. The usual warning - this is a bit long.

The work of Joseph Chan on moral autonomy and Ci Jiwei on moral freedom are necessary reading for anyone wishing to understand the why behind what they see in China. In particular, Chan’s book Confucian Perfectionism and article Moral Autonomy, Civil Liberties and Confucianism and Ci’s book Moral China in the Age of Reform are my sources here.

Between Family and State – The Center Cannot Hold

This is the sixth post in the series on civil society in China now.

Nothing can stand between family and state. True in dynastic times, true now. Outside of government, disagreement can easily become disloyalty. Western NGO are characteristic of civil society. Now, they must go.

 Some Notes on Ancient Trust   -  More on particular and generalized trust

This is the third post in the series on civil society in China.

 A few notes on how trust and its lack influenced development in China.

 Trust within the government was, and is, tougher than trust within the family. Respect for Confucian values was important, but not every official had exalted Confucian status and Confucian values were often recognized only in the breach.

Faith and Trust   In whom can you trust? Epistemological optimism and pessimism

This is the fourth post in the series on civil society in China

An ancient proverb – “The Center is our benefactor, the province is our relative, the county is a good person, the township is an evil person and the village is our enemy” 

This Chinese proverb suggests optimism about the relationship of the peasant to higher levels of government. Nothing at all like the American conception of pushing government decision-making to as low a level as possible, and certainly nothing like Republican avowals to “drown the federal government in a bathtub.” And most assuredly nothing like “Keep your government hands off my Medicare.”

Non-History of Civil Society in China  -  If you don’t build it, they won’t come

This is the second post in the series on civil society in China.

We took the Chinese government officials to a city council meeting in Evanston, IL, a town of about 70,000 people adjacent to Chicago and on Lake Michigan. The students watched … meeting discussions were about citizen involvement and relations with other suburbs and the federal government. The students later met with the city manager. The questions came fast and furious … who elects the city manager? Why is the mayor just a ceremonial post? Is the mayor just the party leader?

Then we got into the surreal. The city is a corporation?  Can sue and be sued? How can you sue a government? You sue other governments? 

Note: this is first in a series of posts on civil society in China. Some posts will be too long for some readers, but the citations make this more than just personal opinion. These are notes to myself, with some analysis.  These civil society posts are themselves part of a far larger work on zhongguoxing – Chineseness. 

 Posts are –

1. Society, Civil and Un - Definition of civil society and some history in China
2. Non-History of Civil Society in China -  If you don’t build it, they won’t come
3. Some Notes on Ancient Trust - Particular and generalized trust
4. Faith and Trust - In whom can you trust? Epistemological optimism and pessimism
5. How Lack Of Trust and Communication Manifests In Government - what happens with no ability to call foul
6. Between Family and State – The Center Cannot Hold
7. Moral Freedom and Nihilism - See, hear, speak no evil … What, me worry?
8. Failures Of Civility and Social Capital In China Now - No generalized trust means no loyalty and no moral authority  
9. International Difficulties - Forget civil society, we’ll take civility
10. Trusting is Believing. To Evaluate is to Doubt - meiyou wenti
11. Legitimacy - Who else you gonna call?
12. Does China need civil society to innovate or prosper?