Approaches to Global Ethics: Michael Sandel’s Justice and Li Zehou’s Harmony

In his most recent book, Huiying Sangde’er ji qita 回應桑德爾及其他 (A response to Sandel and other matters), Li Zehou 李澤厚, one of China’s most prominent living scholars, opposes certain aspects of Michael Sandel’s theory of justice. However, despite Li’s claim that his philosophical approach differs from Sandel’s, there are actually quite a number of parallels between the two. This essay explores some similarities in their respective critiques of traditional Western theories of justice.