Mencius was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been described as the Second Sage after only Confucius himself. He is part of Confucius' fourth generation of disciples. Mencius inherited Confucius' ideology and developed it further. A positive, strong undercurrent moves through his writings we can all embrace—all humans have innate but inborn tendencies toward benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and propriety. He teaches us how to foster the goodness and promote it in our lives, a wonderful tool in our divisive world.
Lesson Reading
Readings in Ethics: Moral Wisdom Past and Present. Chapter 7, pages 117-128
Additional Resources
Free eBook: The Mengzi by Mencius
Courtesy of Ronliskey.com here is a free .pdf version of The Mengzi. Click HERE.
Discussion Question
The idea that feelings and thoughts reside in the heart gave classical Chinese philosophy a different orientation than Western philosophy, which tends to separate ideas and feelings. Should we always separate our thoughts and feelings? Is one idea better? Discuss.
Mencius holds that the distinguishing characteristic of humanity is ren, which has been translated as benevolence or kindness. Mencius argues that even the worst among us have it. Do you agree with Mencius? Are we born good, and then deviate? Or not? Provide examples, and justify your position.
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Tapping into the God Within-The Philosophy of Mencius