Why Mencius Was Argumentative What are the characteristics of Mencius s arguments?

1. Mencius advocated that human nature is inherently good, and believed that the four ends of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom all exist in my heart.

2. Mencius believed that education must have certain standards, just like archery, and that scholars must be able to shoot the bull's-eye. The standards are established, and everyone must consciously abide by them, and they cannot be lowered at will. The highest standard of Mencius's education is to cultivate a "laborer" who is a wise man and a gentleman.

3. Mencius's thought of "benevolent government" has three main aspects:

First, the monarch is benevolent and righteous first, and then utilitarian. A country, from the king to the common people, must abide by the rules of benevolence and righteousness. The monarch must not compromise benevolence and righteousness because of his own selfishness, so that he can win the support of the people.

Second, rulers must learn to "push grace". Human nature is good, everyone has the "unbearable heart" (i.e., the heart of compassion) that cannot bear to see the hardships of others.

The third is to develop production, so that the people can take advantage of the time and take the people's ownership. Only by allowing the people to live a life of abundant food and clothing can we carry forward the idea of filial piety and loyalty.

, to control the words, to nourish the qi and argue.

Mencius's idea of "nurturing qi" and arguing is a fundamental solution to the self-confident character of the debater. Mencius's "Theory of Nourishing Qi" emphasizes the need to "nourish qi" and "nourish the spirit of Haoran", which is centered on the "benevolence" and "righteousness" advocated by Confucius. Through the "cultivation of qi", Mencius cultivated his own self-confidence and noble and perfect personality that looks down on the world.

This kind of "qi" is infused into Mencius's prose, which makes the prose of "Mencius" form a unique majestic momentum.

2. Be good at persuasion, know what to say.

If we want to defend against the enemy, it is not enough to understand ourselves and build self-confidence, but we should also have insight into the enemy's theory and insight into the enemy. Therefore, Mencius put forward the "Theory of Knowing Words". "Knowing what to say and arguing" is not only manifested in dealing with the enemy's theory, but also in dealing with the enemy.

Mencius grasped his weak links through "knowing words" as his specific goal of defeating the enemy. Moreover, in the debate, it is also necessary to defend according to the personal circumstances of the opponent. In his debate, Mencius not only persuaded people with reason step by step, but also understood it with reason and moved it with emotion.

And this also makes Mencius's arguments both rigid and soft, and able to advance and retreat freely, appearing mature and steady.

2. Have a deep logical cultivation in the method of argumentation.

The art of argumentation is, in fact, the logical art of language. The prose has clear logical thinking, and the combination of the text and logic is a major feature of the prose debate art of Mencius. Here are the main points to elaborate on the spotted leopard:

1. Analyze the facts and explore the cause and effect.

The most common and frequent method of argumentation used in Mencius's prose is to analyze the facts, which is actually a combination of inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. The synthesis of these two methods is used to establish a strong argument; When used to refute arguments, they are thoroughly refuted, so that Mencius can always be invincible in debates. For example, in "Mencius: The Second Confession", in order to argue that "good is enough to govern the country", Mencius first put forward the conclusion:

Good and good, better than the world, and what about the country? Then it is elaborated on both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, Mencius used hypothetical judgment to deduce:

If you are good, you will come from all over the world to tell you good. As for the opposite, Mencius also discussed it in the form of judgment, pointing out that if it is not good, people's disgust and contempt will be seen in words and colors, and people of insight in distant places will inevitably refuse to follow. Later, Mencius further deduced the evil consequences:

If the priest refuses to come, he will be a slanderer. Then, it is logical that the country cannot be governed.

2. Analogical reasoning is interesting.

Mencius called analogical reasoning "the connection of things with categories." Its main characteristic is that it avoids the topic, as if it is talking about another idle matter that has nothing to do with it, and after the idle matter is finished, the other party suddenly wakes up, and only then realizes that his mistake is similar to the "idle matter" in Mencius's mouth, so he can either repent and reform himself, or put himself in a dilemma. The subtlety of this feature is that it is sharp and interesting.

When Mencius was arguing, on the one hand, he was good at adopting the method of asking questions layer by layer and pressing step by step, so that the other party could not avoid it, and he was at a loss of words; At the same time, he is also good at using figurative metaphors and feelings full of love and hatred, so as to be rich in strong literary color.

1. Mencius was known for his "good argumentation" among the pre-Qin princes, mainly for two reasons: one is his psychological advantage, Mencius is very confident in his political opinions, and he is very good at figuring out the psychology of his opponents; Second, Mencius often used a lot of rhetorical techniques such as sarcasm, metaphor, and comparison in his arguments to make it impossible for his opponents to parry and fight back.

2. Mencius, Ming Ke, Ziyu (about 372 B.C.-289 B.C.), a native of Zou (now southeast of Nacheng, Zouyinduan, Shandong). During the Warring States Period, philosophers, thinkers, politicians, and educators were the representatives of Confucianism after Confucius and before Xunzi.

The ancients had the following to say about Mencius:

1. Sima Qian's evaluation of Mencius:

At that time, Qin used Shang Jun, Fuyan Yin State strengthened the army, Chu Wei used Wu Qi to defeat the weak enemy, Qi Wei Wang Xuan Wang used his grandson Tian Ji's disciples, and the princes faced the east towards the thick head hall Qi.

2. Mr. Liang Qichao said: Xunzi and Mencius are both Confucian masters, and their political theories have the same destination, but the starting point is very different.

Mencius's thoughts:

In terms of human nature, he advocates the theory of goodness, believing that people are born with the four virtues of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom. One can maintain and expand it through introspection, otherwise one would lose these good qualities. Thus he called for attention to the role of introspection.

In terms of social and political views, Mencius emphasized the theories of benevolence and kingship. Benevolent government is to "punish the people and collect taxes thinly." He summed up from historical experience: "If the people are violated, they will kill the country and perish." celery".

He also said that three generations won the world because of benevolence, and lost the world because of unkindness. Emphasizing the development of agriculture, sympathy for the people, and concern for the people's livelihood, he said in "The Widow to the Country": "The seventy people eat meat, and the people are neither hungry nor cold, but those who are not kings are not there." ”<