A Guide to Understanding Your Sage-Ruler

Abstract In recent years there has been an increase in scholarly discussion about the viability of Confucian political ideas in the contemporary world. Since the early 1990s, some researchers have proposed that there is an upper boundary to how many individuals a human being’s social network can contain. These limitations may threaten virtue-based political theories that rely on certain assumptions about the kinds and scope of human relationships. I argue that although Confucian views may initially seem vulnerable to this challenge, the Confucian sage-ruler need not worry about the limitations of one’s social network. I further argue that this problem can be overcome by using other contemporary empirical work on leadership influence, at least to some degree, while also potentially highlighting where the ultimate limits of the Confucian view might be. I aim to thereby also bring into focus organizational leadership literature that can enhance recent, empirically-informed discussions of Confucianism.