Abstract
On one view of ethical development, someone not yet virtuous can reliably progress by engaging in what meaningfully resembles virtuous conduct. However, if the well-intended conduct is psychologically demanding, one's character, precisely because one is not yet virtuous, may worsen rather than improve. This risk of degradation casts doubt on the developmental view. I counter the doubt through one interpretation and one application of the Mengzi 孟子. In passage 2A2, invoking the image of a farmer who “helped” the crop grow by pulling the sprouts, Meng Ke 孟軻 cautions, “do not help it grow.” I defend a novel interpretation: do not advance with a naive negligence about your psychophysiological constitution. I also show how to advance with realistic care by pointing out an overlooked application of a much-discussed cultivation technique illustrated in Mengzi 1A7: ethical reflection can conciliate one with one’s ongoing or past advanced action, lowering the action’s risk of degradation.
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