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  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Future Issues And Technology (FIT)
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
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      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
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        • RSIS Publications for the Year
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    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
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    • Luncheon Seminar by Mr Benjamin Ho, Associate Research Fellow, RSIS

    Luncheon Seminar by Mr Benjamin Ho, Associate Research Fellow, RSIS

    Immoral Man and Moral Society: Realism, Relationality and the Reality of Chinese Politics

    12 Apr 2017 12:00 - 14:30
    RSIS Conference Room
    Office Attire
    Type: Others
    By Invitation
    Google Calendar

    Abstract:

    This paper argues that Chinese international relations understanding has largely inverted the paradigm of classical realism which is premised on the paradoxical dynamic between “moral man and immoral society”, the Niebuhrian thesis which posits that people are likely to sin as members of groups than as individuals, and hence the need to limit institutional powers. Chinese political tradition however is inclined to view individuals more dimly and the need for institutional arrangements that will safeguard group (and societal) solidarity. Relationality scholarship thus finds a sympathetic audience among Chinese intellectuals in which the emphasis is on the managing complex relationships in a community (as diverse as China). Notwithstanding its value in deepening our understanding on some aspects of Chinese political tradition, relationality suffers from the following flaws: (I) it fails to account for the highly party-centric view of Chinese politics; (II) it is formulated to defend Chinese interests and thus lack broader appeal; and (III) it is founded upon an entirely “this-worldly” philosophical tradition and consequently, is unable validate its legitimacy by reference to a “transcendental” source; and (IV) unlike realism which purports to take the world as it is, relationality starts by attempting to “perfect” the international system as it ought to be.

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    Luncheon Seminar by Mr Benjamin Ho, Associate Research Fellow, RSIS

    Abstract:

    This paper argues that Chinese international relations understanding has lar ...

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