Social and Political Hierarchies

Roundtable: Social and Political Hierarchies

Time: August 30th, 2023

Presentation: Professors Daniel Bell (University of Hong Kong), Wang Pei (University of Hong Kong), Bai Tongdong 白彤东 (Fudan University) 

Discussing the book: Just Hierarchy: Why Social Hierarchies Matter in China and the Rest of the World by Daniel A. Bell and Wang Pei. 

Drawing on Chinese thought and culture as well as other philosophies and traditions, we ask which forms of hierarchy are justified and how these can serve morally desirable goals. 【这本书试图探究等级制的优点】

Professor Rana Mitter's question（问白彤东）: (1) Can liberal institutions (or pluralist institutions) be preserved in the wider public sphere in any society? (2) Does meritocracy need to find other ways to preserve liberalism and pluralism? (e.g. Hongkong 1990s-2010s)

白彤东主张，一人一票并非终极标准。他强调一种权力的balance, because he notes that the democratic part somehow erodes liberal parts. 白注意到，民主一定意义上会损害自由。白更愿意保自由而舍民主。【言论自由，为什么不是情感自由？“不敢怨”】