Philosopher
Mencius
Overview
Mencius (孟子, Mèngzǐ, MEN-shee-əs; c. 371 – c. 289 BC), born Meng Ke (孟軻), was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage (亞聖) to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting his ideology and developing it further. Living during the Warring States period, he is said to have spent much of his life travelling around the states offering counsel to different rulers. Conversations with these rulers form the basis of the Mencius, which would later be canonised as a Confucian classic.
One primary principle of his work is that human nature is righteous and humane. The responses of citizens to the policies of rulers embodies this principle, and a state with righteous and humane policies will flourish by nature. The citizens, if they enjoy freedom under good rulers, will willingly take the time to care for their families, learn to perform proper rites, and become better citizens. This placed him at odds with his near contemporary, Xunzi, who believed that human nature is evil.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Works by Mencius you can read
Philosophers who discussed Mencius
- Cheng Hao
- Mozi
- Zhang Zai
- Zhou Dunyi
- Zhu Xi
- Mou Tsung-san
- Yi Hwang
- Han Yu
- Confucius
- Xunzi (philosopher)
- Wang Yangming
- Laozi
- Yang Zhu
- Hu Shih
- Cheng Yi (philosopher)
- Shao Yong
- Hsu Fu-kuan
- Yamazaki Ansai
- Nishi Amane
- Zengzi
- Xu Xing (philosopher)
- Gaozi
- Ikki Kita
Ideas Mencius discusses
- Liu Xiang (scholar)
- Ancient philosophy
- Jixia Academy
- Philosophy
- Jesuits
- Warring States period
- Ren (philosophy)
- Mandate of Heaven
- Political philosophy
- Prague
- Zhu Xi
- Mencius (book)
- Malaysia
- Moral character
- Zhou dynasty
- China
- Song dynasty
- Confucianism
- Chinese philosophy
- Confucius
- Social philosophy
- Free trade
- Xunzi (philosopher)
- Matteo Ricci
Place in the tradition
Part of Agriculturalism.