Confucius had mentioned filial concern, but Mencius places emphasis on this filial concern prioritizing between special concern for and obligations towards family that is closest to oneself gradating down to others, and stated proper attitude to fam Continue Reading...
Mencius saw Tian as the source of morality and social sanction (if the king was good, Heaven enabled him to rule). Hsun Tzu, on the other hand, perceived heaven as dispassionate and unresponsive at best to human predicament and existence, He therefo Continue Reading...
Mencius thought that virtue was a matter to be developed while Xunzi felt that what was required was not development, but reshaping. The first is like a sprout coming out in a tree whereas the second is like a piece of wood being shaped into an obje Continue Reading...
This is very true because even in modern times students who desire to attain good grades will endeavor for that, but a student who has no desire will only go to school to pass time. This analogy can also be vice versa, a petty man can become a gentl Continue Reading...
Intellectually my mind was saying: how could this happen in an open and public place with dozens of people walking in the area? There was also a sense of moral anger at the way that social rules and norms were being so openly being flouted. This fee Continue Reading...
He exemplifies by saying that anyone witnessing a child about to fall in a well would immediately turn to rescue the child without seeking any advantages in doing so. But while this position has been argued on the grounds that "such an example is no Continue Reading...
John Rawls / Mencius
John Rawls's A Theory of Justice is concerned with distributive rather than retributive justice: there is precious little discussion of crime and punishment in Rawls's magnum opus, but plenty of discussion about equality and fai Continue Reading...
In the Far East, by contrast, we see a different version of mankind. Mengzi maintained that all human morality was held together by a single concept: ren, or natural humanistic love. Simply put, ren is a love and respect for all things human (McGre Continue Reading...
Mo Tzu, just like Confucius did, spend time and ducats travelling from one part to another, and advising leaders and those in authority of the importance of his universal love revolutionary implementation. They were even thought to be working totall Continue Reading...
Human Nature
Throughout history intelligent human beings have tried to better understand exactly what it is that makes people human. Some of the questions that are most frequently asked has to do with a supposed universal human nature, a basic idea Continue Reading...
Confucianism
Describe the unique characteristics of Chinese worldviews and discuss the significance or the implications of these characteristics in relation to the worldviews of other traditions such as the Jewish, the Christian or the modern scient Continue Reading...
Sun Tzu -- Art of War
In his famous book The Art of War, Sun-zi (Sun Tzu) was evidently influenced by Confucian ideals, such as his statements about the avoiding prolonged war if possible and the most successful generals being those who could win wi Continue Reading...
Confucius reiterates this when he asks "Is humaneness far away? If I want to be humane, then humaneness is here" (52).
Zhu Xi also attributes this duality to every human being, from the wisest to the least intelligent (733). In fact, he takes the i Continue Reading...
.. The superior man is broad and fair; the inferior man takes sides and is petty... A superior man shapes the good in man; he does not shape the bad in him.
It is said that a disciple once asked Confucius to define the conduct of one's entire life w Continue Reading...
External vs. The Internal View in Neo-Confucian Thought
Since the beginning of time, philosophers have made a living looking at how people conduct themselves and trying to make sense of it. Sometimes the philosopher will devise a theory about how t Continue Reading...