Mencius

A detailed Summary of Mencius

Many books that we have read this semester have to do with Confucianism. Before taking this class, I had heard of Confucianism, but thought of it as a religion. I have come to understand that it is more of a philosophy or attitude that deals with human beings. It has to do with a persons achievements and interests in life. Confucianism says that man is the center of the universe. Mencius believed that human nature is intrinsically good, and each person should try to recover the original good nature. By doing these things one is able to become a good leader. He believed this, especially in government, and explains this fact to the many important people he comes across.

Mencius had gone to see King Hui of Liang in the beginning of Book 1 Part A. King Hui believed that Mencius had traveled the long distance because he believed that he would be able to profit from this state. This thought was incorrect as Mencius tells the King "those above and those below will be trying to profit at the expense of one another and the state will be imperiled."(Mencius p.49). He continues to explain that the only thing that matters in life is what is good and right. King Hui should not worry about profit when ther

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Mencius says that whoever is lacking a heart of compassion and the knowledge of what is right and wrong is not even human. The reason is that from this heart comes goodness and with it wisdom, courtesy, and duty. He continues by giving an example that goodness is like archery; if you don't hit the bulls eye, then keep trying until you are able to hit that spot. If you are unable to hit that mark after continually trying, start to look into yourself for the answer. From this point you will be able to achieve your purpose, and reach the goodness you were looking for.

The example that Mencius gave to King Hui was a better example of how to bring peace to a nation. He said to punish princes that separate families and make the members of the families fight wars during busy season so they can't plant food and tend to their crops to feed their families. This will lead to starvation and anger towards the king from the people. If he punishes these princes for their actions then there will be no one to oppose the king. The citizens of the land will love and respect the king for allowing their families to be together at all times, and also to permit the people to do their farming to feed their families. This will ensure peace and happiness within the land. In order to make the people reach a high level of goodness, the king must make sure to deep his people out of starvation during bad times and well fed during the good times. Basically, the king must give his people exactly what they need before he can "drive them towards goodness."(p.59). !

Mencius also talked to King Xuan about leadership in his kingdom.

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Approximate Word count = 1143
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History