Confucian ‘Integration Writ Small’

Catholic integralism has received growing attention and criticism in recent years. Some philosophers, such as Kevin Vallier, suggest that, rather than using coercive political power to promote spiritual goals, integralists should adopt a strategy of ‘integration writs small’, which advocates for the dissemination of their beliefs through local religious communities. This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this strategy by examining the history of community covenants (xiang yue 鄉約), which are voluntary grassroots organizations established by Neo-Confucians like Lu Dajun (呂大鈞) and Wang Yangming (王陽明). The tragic history of community covenant teaches us that a strategy of ‘integration writs small’ often encounter a dilemma between disintegration and coercion, which significantly weakens its appeal, explaining why some integralists might reject it.

Covenant · Dilemma · Grassroots · Power (physics) · Pulpit · Writ · Chinese history and philosophy · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Karl Barth and Christian Theology