Long Tradition of East Asian Political Thought Research Paper

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Explain three quotes from ether Confucius, Mencius, or Xun-Zi

Mencius is in the privileged position of providing political advice to King Xuan of Qi. Mencius offers a clear political philosophy rooted in ethical principles. The core ethical principles are humanitarian in nature, based on Mencius's core belief in the essential goodness of human nature. Mencius's political philosophy is grounded in just and humane leadership. There are several core tenets of Mencius's political philosophy, and he advises the king accordingly. The first primary tenet is that leaders need to ensure equitable wealth distribution because poverty and injustice breed criminality and other social problems. The second tenet is that righteousness is important in its own right; that even though the leader ensures his own continued power and respect by being a good king, self-serving interests are insufficient to ensure one's efficacy as a ruler. It is more important to be genuinely good and humane. Third, Mencius outlines a metaphysical approach to leadership rooted in the concept of qi. The following three quotes illustrate Mencius's political and ethical philosophies.

"The people, lacking a constant means of livelihood, will lack constant minds, and when they lack constant minds there is no dissoluteness, depravity, deviance, or excess to which they will not succumb to," (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 123). This quote underscores Mencius's view on social justice and the role a leader plays in ensuring equity. Mencius's political philosophy is based firmly on enabling citizens to have equal access to wealth. However, leaders need to ensure equitable wealth distribution as an ethical imperative, not only to ensure social stability. In other words, Mencius urges the king to view social justice as a moral matter and not just as a pragmatic or self-serving matter. There are several other instances in which Mencius's advice parallels the quote related to ensuring social stability by providing well for the people. For example, Mencius also notes that business transactions must be conducted ethically. As he states, "there are humaneness and rightness, that is all…when rightness is subordinated to profit the urge to lay claim to more becomes irresistible," (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 116-7). Similarly, kings who profit inordinately from their people are unjust rulers who have neglected the duty of righteousness. Profitability is fine when it is subsumed to the greater need for morality.

The humane king fosters a good quality of life and happiness in the people by ensure the adequate provision of food, shelter, and clothing. Moreover, the humane king does not approach deviance with punitive responses. Punishments are neither necessary nor productive. In fact, Mencius views deviance as a response to conflict or strain. People who do not have enough money will rebel or perhaps commit crimes. On the other hand, people who are happy and content will cultivate strong social ties in their community. "If the king bestows humane government on the people, reduces punishments, and lightens taxes…the strong will be able to use their leisure time to cultivate filiality and brotherliness," (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 119). Mencius has such a high view of human nature, that he does not view the peasant as being any less capable of enlightenment or moral action than the king is. All people are capable of moral rightoueness, implies Mencius. The king has a greater responsibility to a larger number of people than the peasant, but that fact does not make the king morally superior. When peasants have enough food, shelter, and clothing, their minds are calm and their emotional stable. They can then devote their lives to cultivating harmonious social ties and thinking on higher ideals than finding food. The enlightened ruler, notes Mencius, helps to "regulate the people's livelihood" because it is what a wise leader would do (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 123). Wisdom in action stems from moral certainty. Depravity is a product not of being a bad person but of injustice. When the poor people act in ways that can be considered depraved, it is unethical to punish them because doing so is a form of entrapment. "If, once they have sunk into crime, one responds by subjecting them to punishment -- this is to entrap the people," (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 123). Mencius asks the king to examine broad sociological patterns when contemplating the best way to achieve social harmony and stability.

Righteousness on the part of a ruler is important for political and social stability. As Mencius writes as a political adviser during the time of the Warring States, political and social stability were of the utmost importance.

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Stability would have been the primary goal not only of Mencius but also of the king he advises. This is why Mencius states, "the humane man has no enemy" (p. 119). On the contrary, a king who is not humane will not be respected, and will be overthrown. Humane leadership was necessary for peace. Mencius discusses both internal and external stability with the King of Qi, in the hopes that the king will opt for peaceful solutions rather than bloodshed. After all, Mencius repeatedly advises against killing people as an effective strategy. Military prowess is not the best way to unify China, notes Mencius in his discussions with the king. It is important to cultivate justice on the domestic front, and also with regards to interacting with leaders from other regions. Mencius argues that the king is more likely to devise long-term sustainable solutions to China's political problems with goodness than he is with bloodshed. As the lecture notes state, virtuous leadership in the Confucian tradition is leadership that may occasionally be self-sacrificial (p. 5). Moreover the effective ruler does think in terms of sustainable political models and not short-term solutions and quick fixes. The leader must have a strong sense of timing, and must be able to "plan the future" while not ignoring the present (Lecture Notes, p. 6). This entails acknowledging the immediate financial needs of the people, and eliminating poverty so that there is no domestic instability or social unrest in communities. It also entails forging a long-range vision for Qi and perhaps Chinese unification.

To cultivate the type of action plan Mencius advises, it is important to start with developing the proper state of mind. Being a righteous ruler requires a righteous mind, and a righteous mind depends on an understanding of spiritual power or qi. When Mencius discusses how the king can go about executing the plan for the future, the discussion diverts to spiritual matters. This is because, as the Lecture Notes state, "Asian politics have a spiritual significance," (p. 6). It is not necessarily "God" that Mencius refers to, but a state of mind that ensures peace, harmony, and stability. Inner peace comes from an individual's ability to discipline the mind. As Mencius puts it, "qi is the companion of rightness and the Way," which is why it is important for the political leader to cultivate (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 127). The king can only fail by neglecting to cultivate his qi. The key to political stability is in personal stability, which begins with stabilizing the mind. Mencius mentions the importance of a calm and steady mind throughout his conversation with the king. Nourishing the qi makes for a steady mind, and a steady mind makes the leader more able to make sound decisions that benefit the people.

The interconnectedness of mind and politics is represented best in Mencius's statement, "What is born in the mind does damage to the government, and what arises in the government does damage to the conduct of affairs," (cited by deBary, 1999, p. 128). Political philosophy is a moral matter, and morality comes from a strong mind. The stability of a kingdom and its individual communities reflects the mind states of its people and its leaders. Human nature is generally good, according to Mencius. However, there are several interfering variables that can impede the optimal development of goodness in a human being. What can lead a person astray, into depravity, deviance, and debauch, include systemic issues like poverty and injustice, but also psychological issues like greed or selfishness. Cultivating a strong mind by drawing upon one's spiritual resources empowers the person to fulfill the highest of human potentials. In a leader, it is especially important to harness human potential because of the locus of influence someone like a king -- or a philosopher -- has.

All of Mencius's words center on the three basic tenets of his political and ethical philosophy. Those three tenets include the necessity for social justice and equitable wealth distribution; the need for moral leadership; and the need for spiritual strength and a calm mind. Each of these three tenets are in turn rooted in Confucian philosophy. Mencius takes Confucian theory a step further by adding a humanitarian and idealistic dimension. It is no longer enough to promote patriarchal rule to ensure social stability. Mencius asks the king, and in fact his entire audience, to cultivate their own innate goodness. All human….....

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