The Dual Role of"Heaven"in Mencius'Thought for What People"Seek"
Mencius divided what man seek into the things in oneself and the things without oneself,using"Heaven"as the cause of the failure of the latter,thus exempting man from the responsibility of failing in his deeds;using"Heaven"as the guarantee of the success of the former,thus giving man confidence in his moral achievement.Mencius still has respect for"Heaven"as the supreme being,and this theoretical construction can be the ultimate basis for his ability to seek the success of the things in oneself in the face of the failure of the things without oneself.How to explain the relationship between gain and loss and its basis after"disen-chantment"has become a question for modern people to consider.Until this question is definitively answered,mending the fissures in the existing interpretive system with a sense of Mencius'life force may be a useful pro-gram for facing an uncertain life.
MenciusHeaventhe things in oneselfthe things without oneself
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