Morality as Necessary to Being

• No background information is necessary for this meetup.

This is the first of two meetings which, together, will illuminate explicit differences and implicit similarities between two impressions of morality.

This meeting will focus on the first impression, carried by Mencius' flavor of Confucianism. To Mencius, morality is not so much something to aspire to as it is something within us to be fulfilled. It is a seed already planted within us that we may choose to cultivate. In this sense, the source of morality is individualistic, and nature guides harmony within the individual to harmony between individuals, ending in a good society.

The photo for this meetup exhibits Penjing (the Chinese form of Bonsai). It epitomizes harmony between willful cultivation and innate design. This is an essential theme in Mencius' philosophy.

The preeminent work exhibiting Mencius' philosophy is the Mencius. It is highly recommended, though not required, to read the introduction (pgs. 1-16) of the Mencius. We will read passages from the Mencius in-person at our meeting. I use Robert Eno's translation. A link to this translation is below.
Mencius

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Links to some of my previous meetups are below.

Character as the Source of Virtue
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