I agree that in the modern East Asia Confucianism has been associated with political conservatism. But I also believe that Confucianism, like Buddhism and Christianity, is not a monolithic entity that inevitably means the same things. You only have to look at the history of Confucian or Buddhist thought to see how remarkably it has changed over the centuries.

The problem from my point of view is that liberals have tended to put their faith exclusively in science and have ignored the power of religion. The consequence of this is surprise when science fails to deliver utopia, and bewilderment at the persistence of religion in technologically advanced societies.

The question is whether Chinese liberals can be equally skilled at using Confucian symbols and values as conservatives. For this to happen, liberals need to take the tradition seriously, to understand how it functions psychologically and socially, and why it still carries weight in the Chinese social imagination.

it’s great to see this blog, and I look forward to reading more from you!

Indeed, the revival of Confucianism has stirred tremendous debate in China, which is less noticed in the West. Lots of Chinese liberals are worrying about this revival will be taken as legitimacy of political conservatism, just like what happened in the whole Chinese history. I think their concern is very reasonable.

The key is to have more bottom-up revival that will give the old tradition a new face.