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In a sense the Confucianists were quite right.If one is truly incompetent in a certain vocation (e.g. political participation), then both justice and common prudence require that he should refrain from engaging in it, but leave it instead to those who are capable.And mere rights, freedom and participation are not the only things about which the people ought to care; indeed these things alone are not even sufficient to sustain social and political institutions.
Rather, they presuppose something else as their foundation, that is, the development of the people’s virtues and the primary means by which the virtues are acquired: proper education and upbringing.After all, hardly anyone wants to live in a society full of “rights” and “freedom”, but bereft of basic norms, values, and a sense of duty--a society in which everyone feels free to do whatever s/he wants, without any moral constraint.Such a society would be necessarily one of “littlemen”, among whom numerous conflicts, strives, infringements and oppressions are bound to occur.On the other hand, a democracy worthy of its name presupposes a society of gentlemen who, having developed their virtues and become mature citizens, are capable of exercising their “rights” intelligently.Thus, for good reasons, self-cultivation has occupied the central position of Confucianism; it is the very path toward the making of virtuous and dignified citizens.
To be consistent with the Confucian assumption of natural equality, however, even xiao ren (“littleman”) is, after all, a ren (person) and must be treated as a human being with the inborn potential virtues.For those who choose to accept the Confucian view of man must believe that every man and woman is equally endowed with the innate virtues and think highly of them.
Even a littleman deserves some respect for his innate nobility in virtue of being a human--better, nobler and more worthy than other animals. Thus, to a Confucian gentleman, it is morally inadequate to treat anyone--littleman, even a criminal, not excepted--like a mere animal.
The failure to cultivate one’s virtues should never lead a gentleman to merely despise one’s person, but should rather urge him to help the littleman by all means to cultivate the virtues and become a gentleman.The belief in human dignity may further inspire a gentleman to devise a better system of education, among other things, in order that everyone can have a reasonable opportunity to actualize his/her virtues and to maximize, as it were, his dignity.
At least, social and political schemes should never be designed to merely put down a littleman and make him docile simply for the sake of societal peace and order.As everyone is endowed by Heaven with the innate virtues which afford him some basic dignity, everyone is an end in himself, more than a tool for any other end, however grandiose.
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