The Mencius in the Context of Recently Excavated Texts

Abstract

The context in which we interpret the philosophy of Mencius has been radically changed by the discovery of dozens of texts written on bamboo strips during the mid to late Warring States Period. This chapter attempts to summarize the main significance of these texts for understanding the Mencius, focusing on how they deepen our understanding of the core of Mencius’s philosophy – his claim that our natural dispositions (xing 性) are good. The main part of the chapter is divided into four parts. The first shows how Dispositions come from what is Allotted (Xing zi ming chu 性自命出) clarifies the conception of natural dispositions, xing. The second analyzes debates on whether the virtues are internal or external, drawing on XZMC and other texts. The next section discusses Five Conducts (Wuxing 五行) as an origin for the idea that all of the virtues might have internal sources, and the final section briefly examines the extension of a Mencian theory of vital energy (qi氣) in the commentary on WX found at Mawangdui.