The Ethical Study Of Mencius's Charity Thoughts

Mencius was one of the main representatives of Confucianism,and was regarded as "Asian Saint" by later generations.His thoughts and Confucius' thoughts were collectively called "Confucianism",and became the orthodox thought of feudal rule.Mencius was born in the Warring States Period.After witnessing the social reality of princes conquering the country,having no permanent property,and having hunger in the wild,he felt the hardship of the people's livelihood,expressed his strong demand for poverty alleviation and protection of the people's livelihood,and then proposed a series of charities The idea of rescue has important reference significance for the current development of charity.Therefore,this article intends to conduct an ethical review of Mencius's charitable thoughts,trying to show the whole picture of Mencius's charitable thoughts,and to provide moral resources for the construction of contemporary charity ethics.The original meaning of "charity" in the traditional Chinese context refers to a noble moral character.Since modern times,the meaning of helping the poor and helping the weak has been integrated into the exchange and integration with Western culture.Today,charity has become an organic unity of kindness,charity,and merit.Therefore,this article explores Mencius's charity thoughts from the three dimensions of charity's moral concept,behavior choice and social efficacy.Through research,Mencius found that human nature is the starting point of his philanthropic thinking.By analyzing the difference between human and poultry,he revealed that human beings are moral,and they have the heart and the ability to do good for the people.Inevitability.Mencius,on the basis of inheriting the traditional people-oriented thought and carrying forward Confucius' thought of benevolence,through the recognition of the relationship between the monarch and the people and the relationship of justice and profit,then put forward the concept of charity that puts people first and emphasizes justice and profit.Using the method of pushing oneself and others from the inside out,it describes the logic of people's charitable behavior extending from the inside of the family to the outside of the society.In the end,Mencius advocated the government to apply benevolence to the people,and implemented a policy of equal emphasis on nurturing education to practice charity,pushing traditional charity to the highest level.This constitutes a charity system from low to high,from possibility to reality,from good to good.Since modern society has undergone fundamental changes in many fields such as politics,economy,culture,etc.,especially the concept of "big charity",Mencius'philanthropic thought will inevitably encounter some challenges.Therefore,this article reveals the historical limitations of Mencius's charitable thoughts through the analysis of the concept of "big charity",and further proposes to clarify the role of the government as a leader in charity,cultivate citizens' sense of responsibility and good deeds,and use modern technology The plan to broaden the channels of charity participation is indeed a feasible path for the modern transformation of Mencius' charitable ideas.