Perhaps only in a very abstract sense of the power of any state dwarfing that of an individual, but not in any practical or “as-applied” sense. The reality of the general individual experience in China vs the US legal system is a very stark contrast (which we can get into but is also an easy AI convo).
After all, when you refer definitionally to “the legal systems of the west”, to what alternative cohesive system of legal theory are you contrasting it to? There aren’t many, and they have differences we can measure. For example, those emphasizing divine revelation (Sharia) or subordination to the state interest (Chinese legal thought). Leave personal value judgements aside - it would be incorrect to think these systems operate the same way in practice or are “fundamentally the same”.
Outside of the few cohesive systems of theory and tradition that we can identify, the alternatives are systems characterized by capriciousness and corruption - the absence of the rule of law.
After all, when you refer definitionally to “the legal systems of the west”, to what alternative cohesive system of legal theory are you contrasting it to? There aren’t many, and they have differences we can measure. For example, those emphasizing divine revelation (Sharia) or subordination to the state interest (Chinese legal thought). Leave personal value judgements aside - it would be incorrect to think these systems operate the same way in practice or are “fundamentally the same”.
Outside of the few cohesive systems of theory and tradition that we can identify, the alternatives are systems characterized by capriciousness and corruption - the absence of the rule of law.