University of Munich professor Hans Van Ess thinks the answer is very simple--Confucianism's notion of rigid hierarchical relationships has no market in an era of democracy, and Westerners of modern times cannot conceive of its heavy emphasis on respect for those in senior positions.
慕尼黑大學葉翰教授認為，答案很簡單，孔夫子的「君君，臣臣，父父，子子」在民主時代當然沒有市場，現代西方人簡直無法想像這種嚴格的長幼尊卑觀念。