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Mencius

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (circa 372 BC-circa 289 BC)
    Born in Zoucheng, China
    Birth name was Meng K’o
    Name also written as Mengzi and Meng-tzu
    Member of the fourth generation of Confucius’ disciples
    Referred to as ‘the second sage’ (meaning second in importance to Confucius himself.)
    Conversations, debates, and sayings collected in the book ‘The Mencius’

Why he might be annoying:

    When the rulers of China’s warring kingdoms ignored his advice, he retired from public life.
    ’The Mencius’ may have been written by his disciples instead of him.
    ’The Mencius’ did not become enshrined as a classic of Chinese philosophy until a thousand years after it had been written, during the Song Dynasty.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was three when his father died.
    He believed people were innately good, but required the right environment for their virtues to flourish.
    He taught that rulers needed to justify their positions of power by acting in their subjects’ interests.
    He argued people had a right to overthrow unjust rulers.
    He advocated for light taxes, free trade, conservation of natural resources, and financial support for the elderly and disadvantaged.
    He said, ‘The people are the most important element in a nation…. The sovereign counts for the least.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying