Mencius · Philosophy
Mencius’s political philosophy of <em>ren zheng</em>, benevolent government: the humane, economically grounded state whose first duty is the people’s welfare, and his sharp distinction between the true King who wins hearts by virtue and the mere hegemon who compels by force.
You learned that Mencius’s ren zheng (benevolent government) grounds the state in the people’s welfare, distinguishes the true King (who practises benevolence through virtue) from the hegemon (who fakes it through force), and insists that a secure livelihood is the precondition of a settled moral life. Exp…
Leads to Thomas Hobbes.
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