The previous selection gives a sense of Chen’s endorsement of human rights; this selection elaborates on his opposition to Confucianism. Like the very next selection by Li Dazhao, Chen is here reacting to the enshrining of respect for Confucianism in the Temple of Heaven Draft Constitution (1913). In contrast to many scholars from Chen’s day to the present, Chen argues that the elements of Confucianism that make it incompatible with democracy and human rights were in it from the beginning, rather than being added by later, more reactionary thinkers. Chen’s criticism of Confucianism bears comparison with the more favorable view of Liang Shuming (Text 17) and with arguments by some contemporary scholars that certain versions of Confucianism, at least, are compatible with or congenial to human rights.
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