Mengzi And Confucianism

Before humanistic movement one’s ability to rule or move up depended on birthrights alone. Those born in royal families became rulers, whether capable or not, though Humanism focuses on the fact that people are born at an equal level, and their behaviors during their life time should dictate their place in society and the afterlife. Wing–Tsit Chang summarized this perfectly that, “Human personal power was supplanted by human virtue and human effort, and man, through his moral deeds, could now control his own destiny”(Chang 3). The development of humanism majorly changed social, cultural, and political aspects of Chinese life styles. This paper will examine two ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and Zhuangzi, who both studied Humanistic philosophy, though drew different conclusions as to the ethicial humanistic

Many people today recognize Hsun Tsu as one of the most important philosophers in Confucianism while some view him as the guy who merely disagreed with Mencius particularly when it came to the nature of man. Mencius believed that human nature is in essence, good however, Hsun Tsu believed that men are inherently evil. Despite how worthy man may seem, he must surround himself with genuine individuals, seek out an exemplary teacher and oblige by their rules in order to be transformed. Although it is apparent that Hsun Tzu’s teachings precisely differed from his superior’s, they ultimately had a positive impact on the development of Chinese Philosophy and were eventually published as parables and titled, “Man’s Nature is Evil.”

It was during the former Han Dynasty period that Confucianism developed from being the teachings of a few scholars at the end of the Chou period, to becoming the philosophy of the government. This had set Confucianism to become the dominating feature of Chinese culture and to affect a large portion of humanity. Consequently, it is interesting to determine how and why the implementation of Confucianism came about during Han China. During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) this classical Confucian core was effectively synthesized with elements of what had originally been competing schools of thought, most notably the cos­mological speculations of the Yin-Yang and Five Agents philosophies. (Press)

For years, natural theologians have searched for answers to human morality by observing nature. By studying the “nonmorality” in nature, it allows for humans to rationalize the inhumanity they see, which justifies our own cruel behaviors. What natural theologians do not understand is that nature is nonmoral; it contains no moral messages and cannot teach humans about how our actions relate to morality. Stephen Jay Gould explores this idea in his essay “Nonmoral Nature” by arguing that the elements within nature do not know the difference between good or bad, they are strictly instinctual. Underneath this argument, he reveals that the answers do not lie in nature, but rather that it lies in humans, and our ability to control good and evil. Gould argues that rather than observing nature in search for the answers on morality, people must to look at themselves to understand it.

Moral principles generally shape a person’s character. Such principles ultimately influence the way a person makes decisions, and may become the foundation that people pattern their lives after. However, in Chinese philosophy there exists a difference of opinion of moral principles. One by the name of Mozi advocates impartiality and condems partiality. He expresses that everyone should benefit everyone equally. Although this may seem benevolent, the very idea is impractical. Mozi’s point of view is rather progressive and future driven, due to the fact equal treatment for everyone has never happened historically and quite frankly, may not ever happen. In correspondence, Mengzi indicates that one’s first and strongest love, is love for one’s

Confucius reasoning is that all human are good; however, when face with an ethical dilemma, there is an inequality between what is good and bad.

To begin, I’d like to say that one of the things that makes Mengzi stand out for me is the fact that he proposes that humans have an innate nature. He differs from a few philosophers (namely Gaozi) in the way that he thinks following an ethical code involves violating said innate nature. This must mean that Mengzi either thinks that humans are inherently good, or that it is possible for humans to possess an immoral nature while still being ethical. However, the latter would of course require humans to resist their nature, and as stated, Mengzi is against this. Humans should embrace their disposition as “good beings” and try their best not to stray from it.

Confucianism is East Asian ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. Confucianism is a complex system of moral, political, religious, and social thought that had a tremendous influence on the Chinese civilization history up to the 21st century. In Confucianism, the moral thought is comprehensive. Confusions argue that morality starts with you, and the confusion core has the belief that morality is constant. In this essay, the focus is on explaining the Confucian moral theory and the practice of political economy, law, and international relation.

Confucianism, a system of societal and ethical philosophies, was founded on the principles of social rituals (li), and humanism (ren) during a time of social upheaval in the early Zhou Dynasty (476 BCE - 221 BCE). Opposing the commonly practiced Legalist mindset of strict law and statecraft, practitioners of Confucianism attempted to embody an ethical core of Chinese societal behaviors that would root a stable social order. Establishing cultural patterns of behavior and religious rituals that were to be personified through generations of human wisdom, an era of “civilized society” had begun. Thus the success of Confucianism was, and still is, directly contributed to its strong foundations in socio-ethical teachings.

People always wonder what makes them who they are. However, the extent to which our characters are derived from ourselves is always an argument for many philosophers. Marx, a German philosopher, and Mengzi, a representative thinker of Confucianism, present similar accounts in explaining how humans are shaped. Both Marx and Mengzi believe that our individual character is not solely shaped by ourselves but are shaped in ways by external forces. However, I will argue that, compared with Mengzi’s view of the moral attributes that inherently exist in humans themselves, Marx’s account is more systematic and compelling due to his emphasis of the effect of the interrelationship between humans themselves and the external forces of labor and social structures.

The scene Lost and Found is a precise example of Confucianism, Daoism, and Sun Tzu’s ideals.The dialogue highlights the core values of these three belief systems. Through Liu Bei’s contemplation of the day’s events, we see a shift from the realities of harsh warfare to the response a caring leader. During the scene, Liu Bei consults with his advisor, Kongming, in hopes of restoring his resolve to continue with the war. This scene not only reveals the core values of Shu’s culture but also the personality of their leader Liu Bei. He is known for being loyal to his people, and this scene emphasizes those traits more than previous chapters. Lost and Found goes in depth into Liu Bei’s inner thoughts and regrets, giving a more complete explanation of how he responds to his mistakes.

Chinese has always been a confident nation most of the time. As they believe that China is the Celestial Empire of the world, Chinese rulers and scholars are reluctant to accept heterodox knowledge, especially religion. For hundreds of years, Confucianism had been the essence of Chinese Philosophy. However, By the middle of the second century. A.D, the great Han Empire was on the edge of disintegration. “The upper level of Han socio-political order was riven by conflict and the elite was frustrated by uncertainty”. On the other

Confucianism is a “comprehensive system of thought and behaviour encompassing religion, philosophy, morality, and political science.” Its teachings have shaped the political and social development of China for hundreds of years, and leaves its mark in ancient history. Confucius’s teachings dealt mainly with personal and political morality - he taught what it meant to be a just ruler and a man of principles and honour. His teachings sought to restore the Mandate of Heaven to the rulers in order for peace and prosperity to return to China. His main goal was to help the individuals achieve social and personal perfection, and also reestablish the ordered society that had supposedly existed before this period of internal warfare. Thus,

In Chinese culture, human nature has discussed for few thousand years by Confucians, for instance, Mengzi, Xunzi, Gaozi. Chinese Confucians Xunzi thought is human nature is bad unless humans give efforts and force themselves regarding to standard defined by sage referring to week 2 lecture notes. Comparing Xunzi and Mengzi thought, Mengzi states differently that human nature is good because of four sprouts and it could be bad because the influence of environment. According to Cambridge dictionary, the definition of human nature means the natural ways of behaving most people share without cultural influence. This essay will discuss whether human nature is good or bad and give reasons to agree or disagree to Xunzi statement. In fact, Xunzi statement

In Xunzi’s Removing Blinders, Xunzi provides an argument defending Confucianism and discrediting other classical Chinese ideas. After reading Xunzi and reflecting on his ideas, I made connections to my own experiences at a summer camp a few years ago.