Mencius as a philosopher

Mencius, unknown painter, public domain licence. Click [1] for original source.

Mencius (372-289 BCE) is the Latin transcription for Mengzi, a Chinese Confucian philosopher of the fourth till third century BCE. In Confucianism he is considered by some to be second important philosopher only after Confucius. He did not study with Confucius, he was born after Confucius died. Even though he did not meet Confucius, he claimed to have met Confucius grandson, and he tried to follow his teachings as he understood them. His words are called the Mengzi or the Mencius and are divided into two parts (A & B). Each part is divided into chapters, e.g. 7A26 is book seven, first part, chapter 26.

Biography

Mencius's father died when he was very young. His mother raised her son alone. There is a legend that Mencius' mother moved house three times before finding a location that she felt was appropriate for nurturing her child. At first they lived by a cemetery, where the mother found her son imitating the paid mourners in funeral processions. Then the mother decided to move. The next house was near a market in the town. There the boy began to imitate the cries of merchants. So the mother moved to a house next to a school. Inspired by the scholars and students, Mencius began to study. His mother decided to remain, and Mencius became a scholar.

Differences between Confucius' and Mencius' teaching: The "Sprouts"

Confucius himself did not focus much on human nature, but Mencius believed in the innate goodness of humans. He said that all humans have virtuous inclinations that he described as “sprouts”. To show innate goodness, Mencius used the example of a child falling down a well, “Everyone in such a situation would have a feeling of alarm and compassion” (2A6). It is also important to recognize that although the sprouts guarantee goodness in human nature, it does not entail that all humans are good. Bad environments tend to corrupt the humans. Individual effort was needed to cultivate oneself, but one's natural tendencies were good to begin with.

Quotation from the English Wikipedia

“Mencius also believed in the power of Destiny in shaping the roles of human beings in society. What is destined cannot be contrived by the human intellect or foreseen. Destiny is shown when a path arises that is both unforeseen and constructive. Destiny should not be confused with Fate. Mencius denied that Heaven would protect a person regardless of his actions, saying, "One who understands Destiny will not stand beneath a tottering wall". The proper path is one which is natural and unforced. This path must also be maintained because, "Unused pathways are covered with weeds." One who follows Destiny will live a long and successful life. One who rebels against Destiny will die before his time”. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mencius)

Legitimation of the ruler and of usurpation

He believed that a ruler had to provide the basic needs for people to develop their nature. This satisfaction of the people was an indicator of the ruler’s moral right to power. He said: “The people are to be valued most, the altars of the grain and the land next, the ruler least. Hence winning the favor of the common people you become Emperor….” (7B14). He believed that it is acceptable for the subjects to overthrow or even kill a ruler who ignores the people's needs. A ruler who does not rule justly is no longer a ruler. When referring to the fallen king Zhou he said, "I have heard of the execution of a mere fellow Zhou, but I have not heard of the killing of one’s ruler” (1B8). This was a major difference to Confucius, who did justify a dynastic change by passing on the Mandate of Heaven, but did not explicitely justify usurpation.