The inner tension of "benevolence" and the discourse transformation from Confucius to Mencius. Benevolence and righteousness are the codes of conduct established by Confucius and Mencius by inheriting and summarizing the etiquette and cultural spirit of the three generations, and constitute the core content of Chinese moral concepts. In Chinese custom, "morality" almost always follows "benevolence and righteousness" and is collectively referred to as "benevolence and righteousness and morality". On the contrary, the tendency to separate from "benevolence and righteousness" and promote "morality" is often related to form in the Chinese ideological world. Different non-moralistic trends of thought, such as the naturalistic thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Looking at the logic and historical process of the construction of the concept of benevolence and righteousness will help us grasp its social and cultural functions more effectively. Confucius' thought is called benevolence. The so-called benevolence emphasizes that people should uphold the principle of love when treating others. By extension, even when dealing with other things, one should maintain some pity and respect, so benevolence can also be called benevolence. Charity does not mean treating all others or things indiscriminately, but it is inevitable to recognize the basics and disadvantages. This is based on both subjective and objective reasons. From a subjective point of view, the bearer of benevolence is a natural person, not an omniscient and omnipotent God. As a human being, his ability to feel and express love must have its own limitations. One of the manifestations of limitations is the inability to treat them indiscriminately. Forcing others or other things to be equal can only be counterproductive. Objectively speaking, the situations and objects that people may encounter are infinitely complex. If the same subject principle is implemented in different object situations, the possible interaction methods and results will inevitably be different. Confucius repeatedly discussed benevolence in The Analects, and each explanation was different. This difference should be related to his feelings about the morphological differentiation that would inevitably occur in the implementation of the principle of benevolence.
Source: Northern Forum