Keywords
Abstract
This paper presents a comparative study of the political thought of Confucius and Mencius, focusing on the concepts of virtue, benevolence, and their implications for governance. Confucius emphasized virtue-based government, supporting self-cultivation, talent appointments, and the Mean theory in order to attain “effortless governance.” Mencius, based on the premise of underlying human goodness, established a systematic concept of “benevolent governance,” which expanded ren from ethical to political areas. He emphasized the necessity of maintaining people’s well-being, respecting public opinion, and expressing the concept that “the people are the most important element.” While both thinkers based their ideas on moral government, their methodologies diverged due to different historical settings.
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