Confucian Corruption

Confucianism and the Chinese practice of holistic relationships (guanxi) were probably formulated with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, in practice some aspects of them can produce the worst of results. In one discussion on the concept of justice, it was asked what would should be done, should one know that one's father has committed murder. The response to this, as famously known, was to hide the father and not hand him up for the murder. This stresses the importance of filial piety, yet also emphasizes a very distinct "inner circle" that is most certainly developing nepotist tendencies and has a very real potential for harboring injustice.

In guanxi, relationships are viewed holistically. That is, if someone is your teacher, that person remains your teacher regardless of context. That someone will be treated as a teacher even at the swimming pool, the gym, at work, as a client and so on. Likewise, a parent will always be treated as a parent regardless of context. In short, following these aspects of the philosophies in this way results in a situation where it is in fact right and good to shield parents (and to a somewhat lesser degree, close relatives) even when they demonstrate corrupt behaviors. While it is said that the gentleperson leads by example and thus brings others towards goodness, it is also said that the children should not contradict their parents.

This potential for corruption further festers especially when guanxi's system results in a sense that there is no conflict of interest when people from two different organizations start providing one another preferential treatment. It is recognized that such preferential treatment exists in all societies by virtue of simple interpersonal relationships, but it is another matter when this treatment becomes somewhat socially sanctioned.

One problem with the way some organizations are run seems to stem from a partial implementation of the Confucian philosophy. While respect and deference are maintained, the justice component seems to have been overlooked. Deference without justice seems to be a pretty good starting point for corruption to fester within organizations that maintain such lopsided arrangements.