Abstract

The word 'rights' as well as a clear concept of them did not exist in China until late last century. This thesis investigates the causes of that omission and its effect on Chinese culture in the hope of better understanding both Chinese culture and the concept of rights itself. ;An analysis of the modern concept of rights shows that in its primary uses it presupposes recognition of the moral sovereignty of individuals. Confucianism, which dominated mainstream Chinese culture, suppressed such a recognition. Its ideal of social order was essentially hierarchical, and its ideal of human personality emphasized moralization of the self focusing on internal perfection in a way that does not encourage the pursuit of individual interests and development of the correlative idea of individual rights. ;The effect of the lack of a concept of rights on individual and social life and political practice is explored, with attention to such things as the effect on the possibilities of individual self-respect, the social treatment of individual interests, and conflict resolution. Particular attention is given to the effect of Confucian attitudes toward individual interests on political life. It is argued that the lack of a strong conception of individual rights encouraged by Confucian moral ideas has tended to make the Chinese people more susceptible to authoritarian rule