Contrasting Philosophies: Graded Love versus Universal Love

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Mencius and Mozi were Chinese philosophers who were disciples of Confucius. They both emphasized love but in different ways. Mencius taught graded love which agreed with the original Confucius ideas. Mozi taught universal love which disagreed with aspects of original Confucius ideas about love.
Graded love is to have different levels love for different people and forms of life. Mencius adopted this idea from Confucius. Their idea was that love is a limited resource because we are human so it can only be spread so far. Family naturally draws love; it is natural to love one’s parents, to respect one’s elders, and to look up to one’s older siblings. It is also natural to love one’s children. Family is the most important thing according to Confucius, Mencius, and the graded love ideology. Loving family members is natural and family teaches one how to deal with feelings and interpersonal …show more content…

Confucius taught his disciples, including Mencius, using the story of a stealing man and his son. The father steals another person’s livestock and the son discovers this. The son is presented with a moral dilemma of upholding the law and protecting his family. When the son finally turns in his father to the authorities, the judge decides to take the father’s hand and the son’s life. The father broke social law and should be punished accordingly. The son broke natural law which is an act against nature.
Confucius then was presented with another question, how does one choose between natural law and social law? He answered by saying the situation should be avoided at all costs, but if forced he would advise following natural law. The conflict between the two can be avoided through self-cultivation and education. Self-cultivation prevents oneself from forcing the situation onto family members. Education for oneself and for one’s family prevents them from breaking social law. Family is the most important thing in graded

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