By Dr. Zeren Langjia
Is a ruler truly in control, or merely borrowing power from people? Throughout history, civilisations have devised distinct frameworks for legitimising rulers. Two influential traditions – the Confucian Mandate of Heaven (Tianming) and the Greek Will of the Demos – deeply tie legitimacy to how rulers treat their people. Yet, they rest upon fundamentally different principles, shaped by the contrasting worldviews of ancient China and Greece.
