Confucius · Philosophy
Confucius’s central virtue - <em>ren</em>, humaneness or benevolence - the loving concern for others that is the heart of his ethics and the goal of moral cultivation.
At the heart of Confucius’s ethics is ren - often translated as ‘humaneness,’ ‘benevolence,’ or ‘goodness.’ Ren is the central virtue of Confucius’s thought - the loving concern for others, the humane and benevolent disposition toward one’s fellow human beings, that is the heart of his ethics and the goal of moral cultivation. When asked what ren is, Confucius said simply: ‘It is to love others.’ Ren is the humane, loving, benevolent concern for others - the disposition to care for, respect, and treat well one’s fellow human beings. It is the supreme virtue, the heart of moral goodness, the goal of moral cultivation - the humane disposition that should govern all our relationships and conduct. To be ren - humane, benevolent, loving toward others - is, for Confucius, the highest moral achievement and the heart of the good and virtuous life. Ren, humaneness, is thus the central virtue and the heart of Confucius’s entire ethical vision.
Ren is, for Confucius, the central and supreme virtue - the root and source of the other virtues, the heart of moral goodness from which the other virtues flow. The other Confucian virtues - righteousness (yi), propriety (li), wisdom (zhi), trustworthiness (xin), filial piety (xiao) - are all connected to and rooted in ren, the central humane disposition. Ren is the humane concern for others that animates and grounds the other virtues: righteousness (doing what is right) flows from humane concern; propriety (proper conduct) expresses and cultivates humane concern; filial piety (devotion to family) is a primary expression of humane concern; and so for the other virtues. Ren is thus the root and heart of moral goodness - the central humane disposition from which the other virtues flow and which they express and serve. To cultivate ren - to become truly humane and benevolent toward others - is the heart of moral cultivation and the goal of the good life; and the other virtues are the expressions and cultivations of this central humane disposition. Ren, humaneness, is the root of all goodness in Confucius’s ethics - the central virtue from which all the others flow.
For Confucius, the cultivation of ren - becoming truly humane and benevolent - is the central task of moral self-cultivation and the work of a lifetime. Ren is not simply given but must be cultivated - developed and deepened through lifelong effort, learning, practice, and self-cultivation. We cultivate ren by cultivating our humane impulses and relationships (beginning with the family and those near us, and extending outward); by learning and reflection (studying the wisdom of the past and reflecting on how to act humanely); by the practice of propriety and the other virtues (which express and cultivate ren); and by lifelong moral self-cultivation (the continual effort to become more humane, benevolent, and good). Confucius described his own lifelong cultivation: ‘At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning… at seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right’ - a lifelong path of cultivation toward the full humaneness and virtue in which doing what is right becomes second nature. The cultivation of ren - becoming truly humane through lifelong learning, practice, and self-cultivation - is thus the central task of the good life and the work of a lifetime, the lifelong path toward the full humaneness that is the heart of moral goodness.
This is the opening of the lesson. The rest — the dialogue, the primary source, and the recall — is in the app.
You learned that ren (humaneness/benevolence) is the central virtue of Confucius’s ethics. Explain what ren is and how it is expressed and cultivated, in your own words.
Leads to Mencius.
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