Harmony (2 comments)
We're watching the Olympic Games' opening ceremonies:
Josh: And there is the Chinese character for "harmony," which will make a number of appearances tonight -- a core philosophical conception.
Bob: And a core political ideal as well. Hu Jintao talks constantly about the "harmonious society."
Josh: That's right, the idea of "hexie shehui" or "harmonious society," really right at the heart of Chinese political doctrine at the moment.
That's nice and all, but words mean things. Specifically, "harmony" refers to multiple voices being heard together to create a sound that's more than the sum of its parts. Chinese political doctrine has a strong history of silencing any discussion that runs counter to the official party line. A society can not be called "harmonious" if it's distinguished by a single voice drowning out all others.