The Chinese philosopher Mengzi (Mencius, 372-288 BC) is a follower of Confucius’ teachings and a representative of the idealistic wing of Confucianism.
He was born in the state of Zou (northwestern part of present-day Shandong province), which bordered the state of Lu, Confucius’ hometown.
His mother played an important role in his life, raising him on her own after the death of Mengzi’s father. In Chinese culture, she is often seen as an example of a woman in her role as an educator, to the point that one Chinese idiom reads “Mencius’ mother made three moves.” According to legend, she moved three times to find the best place to raise her son. As they were very poor, they first moved near a cemetery, but when she noticed her son imitating paid mourners at funerals, she decided they had to move. They then moved near a city market, but then her son started imitating the merchants and their shouting, so they moved again. Their new home was near a school, and Mengzi, inspired by the students he saw there, developed a passion for learning. a, he dedicates himself to learning… They choose to live there.
According to legend, Confucius’ teachings were known and adopted by his grandson’s school, Tse Sea, and for a while he stayed and worked as one of the scholars at the Ch’i state academy.
The legend also says that like Confucius, Mencius traveled throughout China for decades and served as an advisor to rulers and princes in political and economic matters. It is said that he also searched in vain for a ruler who would adopt and implement his ideas.
Interestingly, he used the same literary style – dialogue – in his works as his great Greek contemporary, Plato. In his works, one can also find Mencius spoke about his philosophical work and actions, saying: “I would like to guide human hearts in the right direction, while eradicating false teachings, correcting incorrect efforts, removing inappropriate expressions, and thus completing the work of three wise men. The wise men he speaks of are ancient emperors Yao and Shun, and of course Confucius.”
The Goodness of Human Nature
Mencius, as a follower of Confucius’ teachings, responds to the question of why one should live according to the virtues spoken of by Confucius – why one should give such importance to nobility, correctness, civility…, why one should live “without thoughts of personal gain” and why one must “expand oneself to include others”. Mencius’ answer lies in his teachings about the true goodness of human nature.
The question of what human nature is has always been present. One of the most controversial topics in Chinese philosophy is human nature. There have been various theories about it. Some philosophers believed that it could be both good and bad, while others thought that the nature of some people is good and others bad. Hsün Tzu believed that humans are inherently evil and need to be guided towards goodness through education. Kao Tzu, a contemporary of Mencius with whom he engaged in heated debates, believed that human nature is neither good nor bad: Human nature is like water in a channel. If we direct it eastward, it will flow eastward; if we direct it westward, it will flow westward. Human nature does not distinguish between good and evil, just as water does not distinguish between east and west.
Mencius believes that human nature is fundamentally always good and therefore responds: It is true that water does not show preference for either east or west, but doesn’t it differentiate between uphill and downhill, higher and lower positions? Human nature tends towards goodness just as water tends downhill. There is no person who does not desire good, just as there is no water that does not flow. downhill. It is true that we can make water splash upwards and pump it uphill, but that is not its nature, but a consequence of circumstances. Similarly, it is possible to induce evil in human nature.
According to Mencius, there are elements in a person that are neither inherently good nor bad, but if not properly restrained, they can lead a person towards evil. However, Mencius does not consider these lower, animalistic elements to be part of true human nature.
Hsin – the enlightened heart
For Mencius, the defining characteristic of a person is hsin, the heart. A great person, chun tzu, according to Mencius, differs from others in that they cultivate their heart. It is the center from which all moral qualities spring, and it contains the ability of a person to fulfill their destiny, ming. A person is born with it, which is why Mencius calls it the “original heart” and the “true heart”.
Hsin is the “voice of the enlightened mind” and enables moral reflection through which a person recognizes priorities and values, distinguishes between good and evil. Duty and acceptance of responsibilities are virtues, with the purpose of fulfilling one’s life and destiny. Therefore, hsin is the most precious element in a human being, and cultivating the heart is their highest duty.
Mencius states that the heart contains four tuanas, four shoots or buds as initial moral tendencies. These are the four fundamental moral feelings from which, if properly nurtured, four virtues can develop. However, if they are treated poorly, they will wither. It is important to emphasize that these shoots exist in every person, and every person is fundamentally good by nature. This attitude is explained with the following example:
When I say that all people are such that they cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my opinion can be illustrated as follows: … in every person, without exception, a feeling of agitation and panic will arise if they see a child in danger of falling into a well. They will not react in this way because they want to gain the favor of the child’s parents, or to receive praise from their neighbors and friends. Dear friends, neither is it because they do not want to come across as insensitive.
Therefore, the feeling of compassion and empathy is inherent in humans, just as the feeling of shame and disgust, respect and sociability, as well as approval and condemnation are inherent in humans.
The feeling of compassion and empathy is the basis of philanthropy, nobility (jen). The feeling of shame and disgust is the basis of proper behavior (li). The feeling of respect and tolerance is the basis of courteous behavior (shu). The feeling of approval and condemnation is the basis of moral consciousness, wisdom (chih). All people have these four principles, just as they have their four extremities. (Mencius’ Works, II,1,6.)
When asked why a person should develop these four initial virtues, Mencius responds that it is through them that one truly distinguishes oneself from animals and that one can only become a true human being by developing them. If we leave the saplings of virtues undeveloped Well, we will just be people who empathize with others, but do nothing about it, and if we diligently cultivate them, we can not only prevent the fall of one child into a well, but as Mencius says, take all within the Four Seas under our protection.
A person who neglects these sprouts “has lost their own heart” and Mencius says: When a person loses their dog or chicken, they go in search of them, but when they lose their heart, they don’t go looking for it. Self-cultivation is nothing more than the aspiration to find our lost heart.
The principle of gradual love
Mencius says: All people possess a spirit that cannot bear to see the suffering of others. This is human compassion, empathy as the foundation of the goodness of human nature. This feeling should be developed into philantropy as the innate state of man, and then expand that state further to love for everything. This love is the highest and best expression of the fundamental goodness of human nature.
However, Mencius opposes the teachings of the philosopher Mozi, who advocated for The principle of comprehensive love – the principle that everyone should love all others equally and without discrimination.
Mencius believes that people naturally love the children of their brothers more than the children of their neighbors, and that Mo Zi’s principle of comprehensive love diminishes the importance of the father. To not have a father and, likewise, a ruler, means to be “like birds and beasts”.
According to Mencius, love should be developed gradually, step by step; starting from the family, it should be expanded until it includes all people: Treat the elders in your family as you should and extend that behavior to the elders in other people’s families. Treat the young ones in your family as you should and extend that behavior to the young ones in other people’s families. This is what Mencius calls “expanding the scope of action to include others”. And finally, this feeling will develop into love for all things, for everything.
The reign of wang and pa
People can be satiated, clothed, and live peacefully.
No, if they lack proper upbringing, they are “like birds and beasts.” That is why, according to Mencius, there should be teachers who will teach them basic human relationships: a father and son should love each other, a ruler and subject should be just to each other, a husband and wife should differentiate their responsibilities, a younger brother should have a natural sense of respect for the older, and there should be trust among friends.
People achieve their full development only through well-structured human relationships, in a state founded on moral values where the ruler himself must be the first example of morality. If the ruler lacks moral qualities, then he is not a true ruler and in that case, the people have a moral right to rebellion.
Mencius speaks of two types of rulers: one is the wang – the king-sage, and the other is the pa – the tyrant: Whoever uses force instead of virtue is a pa. Whoever possesses and lives virtue and practices benevolence is a wang. When someone rules over people with force, people They only submit externally, and only because they lack the strength to resist. However, when someone gains the loyalty of subjects through virtue, their hearts are content and they will submit to him just as the seventy disciples submitted to Confucius.
To prove that such rule is possible, Mencius cites the example of the rule of the ancient emperors Yao and Shun.
Great morality
When asked by a student what he excels at, Mencius replied: I discern right from wrong in speech and I am skilled in cultivating my Hao Jan Chih Ch’i. The student then asked what that is, and Mencius answered: It is Qi, the greatest, the strongest. If it is constantly nurtured successfully, it permeates everything between Heaven and Earth. This is the Qi that is achieved through the combination of righteousness and the Way (Tao). The morality cultivated by warriors relates to the relationship between man and man, and is ordinary morality, while Hao Jan Chih Ch’i relates to the relationship between man and the cosmos, and it is the pinnacle of moral cultivation or Great morality.
Any person can achieve Great morality, because it is nothing else but… The fuller development of human nature is needed for true wisdom. Just as a sage is similar to any other person in their fundamental nature, so can any person become a sage only if they fully develop their fundamental nature. Mencius says: The sage is the one who first discovered what is common to all human souls…
The path to Great Morality lies ahead of humans, the path to realizing the fundamental goodness they possess. Life circumstances often “hinder” people in this pursuit, which is why great perseverance and persistence, along with education and learning, are necessary. If successful, this fundamental goodness will become visible in their life through the virtues they express. This is also the only way for a person to find their own “lost heart” and fulfill their true destiny.