Mengzi

Mengzi, also known as Mencius, was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived circa 372–289 BCE. Born Meng Ke in the state of Zou, he became one of the most influential interpreters of Confucius and his teachings. The collection of his dialogues and expositions, titled Mencius, is one of the principal texts of Confucianism and is traditionally grouped with Analects, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean as a core source for Confucian thought.

Mengzi is best known for his assertion that human nature is inherently good. He argued that every person possesses four innate beginnings or sprouts—the feelings of compassion, shame, deference, and a sense of right and wrong—which, if cultivated through education and proper environment, develop into benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, and wisdom. This view stood in contrast to other contemporary positions that claimed humanity requires coercive cultivation or that virtue is learned only through external norms.

Politically, Mengzi advocated benevolent governance and argued that rulers owe the people good government and material welfare. He supported the idea that a ruler who fails to protect the people or who loses the Mandate of Heaven forfeits legitimacy and risks being replaced. The text emphasizes careful governance, moral leadership, and the obligation to care for the populace.

Mengzi’s ideas influenced later Confucian and Neo-Confucian thought and remained a central reference for debates on human nature, education, and political ethics in China and East Asia.