The Democracy of the Dead
Dewey, Confucius, and the Hope for Democracy in China

David L. Hall and Roger T. Ames

Believing that it is a mistake to equate modernity with westernization and rugged individualism, Hall and Ames argue that as a modern China embraces its larger role in the global marketplace, a new type of democracy will emerge—a blend of a traditional Western democracy and the Eastern emphasis on community. They contend that China, which may come to dominate the global culture of the twenty-first century, will maintain far more of its traditional culture than most people believe possible. In fact, the authors conclude that the democracy best suited to the Chinese cultural sensibility is John Dewey's "communitarian democracy."

"Centers on getting beyond the liberal Western tradition, both for understanding the prospects for political change in China, and to make a signal contribution to the ongoing debate on Neo-pragmatism—focusing on John Dewey—in the U.S. This book is an excellent addition to the literature in both areas, and to the exciting development of comparative philosophy more generally."
—Henry Rosemont, Jr.
St. Mary's College of Maryland

"A creative synthesis of Deweyean pragmatism and Confucianism that is as instructive with respect to the possibilities for what Western liberal democracy could become as it is for the possibilities of a Confucian communitarian democracy in contemporary China."
—Randy Peerenboom
UCLA School of Law