From the Holy King to the Holy Individual:Human Dignity Building by Confucius and Mencius through Compiling The Spring and Autumn Annals
There has always been controversy over whether Confucius was the author of The Spring and Autumn Annals.Based on the existing historical materials,I attempt to prove that Confucius is the author through logical inference.After the death of King Wen of Zhou,King Wu of Zhou inherited the kingship,and Duke Wen of Zhou inherited the duty as the lawgiver.Confucius believed that the lawgiver,but not the king,was the successor to the"Mandate of Heaven."Regarding himself as the successor of the"Mandate of Heaven,"Confucius compiled The Spring and Autumn Annals.Through this transgression,he completed the transformation from the dual structure of"Virtue-Political Power"to the new structure of"Virtue-Human Dignity."Afterwards,Mencius further analyzed the identity difference between the lawgiver and the subject.He emphasized the status of the lawgiver is higher than that of a king.Also,Mencius promoted Confucius to the high position of"the Holy Individual of Time/Variety"to highlight the historical significance of his work in the Spring and Autumn Annals.By sanctifying Confucius,Mencius established an image of the"Supreme Human Dignity"which transcended political power and morality constraints.
ConfuciusMenciusThe Spring and Autumn Annalssupreme human dignity
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