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An Evaluation of the Chen Jingyuan Case Based on Aristotle's Philosophical Core Ideas

Aristotle (384-322 BCE), the polymath architect of Western thought, developed a philosophy grounded in empirical observation and teleological purpose (*telos*), as seen in *Nicomachean Ethics*, *Politics*, and *Rhetoric*. His core ideas include the doctrine of the mean (*mesotēs*)—virtue as a balanced midpoint between excess and deficiency; practical wisdom (*phronesis*) as deliberative excellence guiding ethical action; justice (*dikaiosynē*) as both distributive (proportional equality) and corrective (rectifying wrongs); the *polis* (city-state) as the telos of human flourishing (*eudaimonia*), where law serves virtue over mere power; and rhetoric as the art of persuasion through *ethos* (character), *pathos* (emotion), and *logos* (logic). Aristotle championed rule of law tempered by equity (*epieikeia*) to prevent rigid injustice. The Chen Jingyuan case—a doctoral scholar sentenced to 20 months for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" (PRC Criminal Law Article 293) over Twitter forwards—through Aristotle's lens, exemplifies a tragic deviation from the mean: judicial excess in punishment lacks *phronesis*, perverting corrective justice into disproportionate coercion, undermining the *polis*'s ethical telos and rhetorical balance.

#### 1. The Doctrine of the Mean and Excess in Punishment: Judicial Rigidity as Vicious Extremity

Aristotle's ethics posits virtue as the golden mean—courage between cowardice and rashness (*Nicomachean Ethics* 1106b)—with justice requiring proportionality to avoid excess or deficiency.

Article 293's application veers to vicious excess: sentencing Chen for low-impact inquiry (e.g., Hayek critiques or the "Trump-kneeling Xi" cartoon) presumes "disruptive" extremity without measured deficiency—no causal harm (zero ripple from <100 retweets), yet 20 months' penalty tips the scale. The closed-door trial and "shut up" directive amplify imbalance: no equitable tempering (*epieikeia*), as Aristotle advocated for law's rigidity (*Politics* 1287a). The prosecutor's unverified admission signals deficiency—evidence lacking—yet excess prevails, corrupting corrective justice into punitive overreach. Aristotle would diagnose this as ethical vice: without the mean, "order" becomes tyrannical rashness, eroding the *polis*'s virtuous equilibrium.

#### 2. Practical Wisdom (*Phronesis*) and the Failure of Deliberative Excellence: Suppressed Rhetoric as Deliberative Void

*Phronesis*, deliberative virtue, guides rulers and citizens to ethical ends through balanced judgment (*Nicomachean Ethics* 1140a), informed by rhetoric's triad: *ethos* (credibility), *pathos* (appeal), and *logos* (reason).

The non-oral appeal voids *phronesis*: Chen's prison letter—exemplifying *logos* via avalanche theory and rumor taxonomy (art/emotion/reason/fact)—is barred, denying deliberative excellence. The judiciary's "high education implies discernment" relies on deficient *ethos* (unverified claims), evoking pathos of "disorder" without *logos* (no causal proof). Aristotle, who prized rhetoric for civic harmony (*Rhetoric* 1354a), would decry this as deliberative failure: the barred defense silences balanced judgment, perverting the *polis*'s telos—justice as communal *phronesis*—into solitary fiat. Anomalies like selective enforcement (millions unpunished) expose the void: without rhetoric's triad, wisdom atrophies.

#### 3. Justice in the *Polis*: Disproportionate Coercion as Undermining the Common Good

Aristotle's justice harmonizes the *polis* (*Politics* 1252b): distributive equity proportions to merit, corrective rectifies wrongs without excess, serving *eudaimonia* (flourishing).

The sentence distorts distributive justice: Chen's scholarly merit—rational inquiry—earns disproportionate penalty, ignoring corrective equity (no harm rectified). This undermines the common good: suppressing a *phronimos* (wise citizen) erodes civic virtue, as Aristotle warned against oligarchic excess (*Politics* 1296a). The "upper-level instructions" prioritize power over *polis* harmony, fracturing the telos. Aristotle would see redemptive potential in Chen's persistence: his taxonomy humbly seeks equity, a seed of flourishing amid coercion.

#### Conclusion: Aristotle's Lens on the Case—An Excess Fracturing the Mean of Justice

From Aristotle's ethical politics, the Chen Jingyuan case is a vicious extremity: punishment's excess eclipses the mean, *phronesis* yields to deficient rhetoric, and justice fractures the *polis*'s telos. As of October 22, 2025, no retrial or exoneration has occurred; Chen's account remains dormant, its quiet a measured call for equity. This case cautions: without the golden mean, order devolves to tyranny. As Aristotle affirmed, "Justice is the virtue of the soul... the bond of society"—may it rebind the fractured.