Confucious and Mencius

Confucius was born in the fifth century B.C.E, and Mencius lived in the fourth century. Both of these times were years of rigid social hierarchy. In this period, society was divided into different classes. There were rules within each class, and the ruler always ruled at the top of the hierarchy. This social hierarchy deeply influenced Confucius and Mencius’s political thoughts. In this paper, I will argue that they both applied their thoughts within the preexisting hierarchy and prescribed the best version of the ruling system. For example, Confucius and Mencius both agreed that the ruler should set the example of virtue in order to help their citizens to rectify their behaviors. Meanwhile, Confucius and Mencius emphasized the power of the people and offered different methods to enrich them. These political thoughts of Confucius and Mencius influenced their attitudes toward warfare also. Thus, emphasizing the virtue of the ruler and the power of people, Confucius and Mencius recommended improvements for the society.

In the following paragraphs, I will first analyze how their thoughts were applied within the preexisting rigid social hierarchy. According to hierarchic ideology, society should be divided into different classes, and people should follow the rules within their classes. Confucius divided society into three relations: husband and wife, father and son, and ruler and minister. Only when these three relations are properly discharged will the state function well. In one example from the “Analects,” the collection of Confucius’s sayings, the Duke Jing of Qi [reign 547-490 BCE] asked Master Kong about governance. Master Kong answered: “ ‘the sovereign acts befitting a sovereign; a minister, a minister; a father, a father; a...

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