One For Mengzi Analysis

Zhu Xi is a Chinese neo-Confucian philosopher, that believed that our moral mirror reflected our morality. The clean moral mirror reflects the underlying moral pattern. Xi believed that all things were brought together into unification by two universal aspects of reality: qi and li. Li is the principle of essence for our morality. The cause of immoral action is due to qi because qi obscures our perfect moral mirror. In order, for one to clear their li, it must be done through the purification of the qi, upon studying, reflecting, and mediating. The goal of cultivation is to clear our qi because if our qi is clear and balanced they we will be perfectly moral.

According to Xi, we must clear our qi through study, reflection, and mediation. One

According, to Mengzi human nature is given by Heaven, you cannot learn it or acquire it. Mengzi uses a developmental model to develop the idea that human nature is good, and that we should develop the heart, growing the four virtues though love. For example, giving away shows a motive of desiring to do good for others. The four moral pre-dispositions are: benevolence, righteousness, sense of right and wrong, and propriety. Mengzi built an intermediate connection between human biological traits and moral virtues. He argues that it is human nature to desire food when hungry or warmth when cold. However, humans are also emotional creatures. Mengzi uses thought experiments to test the innate potential nature of humans, for example, the child that fell in the well. The results showed that people were trying to help the child, felt distressed and were considering what was wrong and right in the situation. This proves that human nature has potential goodness. In order, to improve rightness one can must rely on the cultivation through education in favorable environments. However, in bad environmental conditions human will is corrupted. But, this does not prove that human nature is evil, people generally do not want to cause harm to

I believe that every human is born good, however, we are corrupted through society. If we reflect our actions and because we have knowledge on what is good or bad, we can clear our qi. If we do not have prior, then I believe, that you can obtain this information through literature, or after experiencing an event that helps you determine that a certain action is wrong. We do not have to experience everything to say that the action is immoral. For instance, robbing a store is wrong, but you do not have to rob a store to know that because we learn through our studies and prior knowledge. We know that if you rob a store you are bound to need up in jail. However, we know that it is immoral because the person being robbed worked hard for their wealth. In conclusion, our reflections should be informed by knowledge of history, current events and practical