Character as the Source of Virtue

• No background information is necessary for this meetup.

We will continue our journey though Chinese schools of thought. After discussing Daoism from the work Zhuangzi, we will compare and contrast it with Confucianism from the work Mencius. In particular, we will be looking at Confucianism as conceptualized by Mencius – the most influential Confucian after Confucius himself.

Mencius contributes to Confucianism an emphasis on character and heart, which adds a bit of spice to the original Confucian focus on duty, etiquette, order, and ritual. At times, his conceptualization of Confucianism may seem to stray more into virtue ethics than Confucianism's original mixture of deontological ethics and virtue ethics. However, his approach is widely considered as complementing and continuing the Confucian tradition.

We will read Book 1, Part A of the Mencius. The reading is short. It is recommended to read these sections before we meet but not required. I recommend the introduction to anyone interested in the background and context of the text. We will also read parts in-person at our meeting.

I use Robert Eno's translation. A link to this translation is below.
Mencius

------------------------------------------------------------
Links to some of my previous meetups are below.

A Defense of that which Requires None: Common Sense
Prolonging Disfigures, Exertion Deranges
Broken Paragon
The Blind Spot of Knowledge's Physiology
Are You Elsewhere?
What to morality, is proof to truth?
Back to the Roots – Man’s Search for Meaning