V3I10P30

Buddhist Political Ethics and the Legitimacy of State Power: A Comparative Study of Aśokan Kingship and Western Political Thought

Nguyen Thi Nhien Trang¹, Dr. Le Hong Linh^2,3*

Abstract

The question of legitimate political power continues to be a fundamental problem of political theory. Western political thought has largely addressed this issue by exploring the concepts of justice consent sovereignty, public order, and rule of law; Indian Buddhist political thought suggests a complementary perspective involving questions of virtue, non-harm, compassion, and well-being of sentient beings. This paper explores the political ethics related to the Mauryan emperor Aśoka in a comparative context with certain classical notions of political legitimacy put forward by Plato Aristotle Hobbes, Locke, and Max Weber. By analysing Aśoka’s edicts, early Buddhist textual traditions, and literature on political legitimacy through qualitative and comparative political theory, we will argue that Aśoksan kingship represents an exemplary political model based on a legitimising morality of prudential restraint, enhancement of collective well-being, religious toleration, and minimization of needless pain and suffering. Still, the Aśokan model should be not confused with contemporary democratic models of legitimacy – it emerged in an imperial and hierarchical polity and its ethical commitments did not preclude the use of force nor bring about popular sovereignty. Their comparison indicates consonance and dissonance between the more philosophical ethical principles of Buddhist political ethics and Western accounts of legitimate authority. While Hobbes accentuates protection and political order, Locke stresses consent and rights, and Weber distinguishes among traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational types of legitimate domination, Aśoka-focused political ethics would highlight the ruler’s ethical responsibilities as well as the authorization of political power in its orientation toward the public good. This article calls for a subtle reading of the many-sided structure of legitimate authority.

Keywords:

Aśoka; Buddhist political thought; political ethics; comparative political theory