A Comparative Study Of Mencius’ View Of Righteousness And Benefit And Bentham’s Utilitarianism

Mencius’ concept of righteousness and profit is the dominant value in Chinese tradition,which has influenced China for more than two thousand years,while Bentham’s utilitarianism is a Western thought that was introduced to China in the modern era with the gradual expansion of Western learning to the east,which had a great impact on the traditional Chinese Confucian concept of righteousness and profit.Based on the results of research at home and abroad,this thesis presents a comparative study of Mencius’ view of righteousness and profit and of Bentham’s utilitarianism in three areas.The first aspect examines the different contexts in which they arose and the conflicts between them in modern China.Mencius’ concept of righteousness and profit arose in the historical context of the discourse between kings and hegemonies during the Warring States period in ancient China.It had an important influence on the values of Western capitalist society.In the modern era,the introduction of the utilitarianism of Bentham’s into China led to a clash with the traditional Chinese values represented by Mencius’ concept of righteousness and profit.The second aspect examines the ideological differences and similarities between the two.The difference between the two is that,in terms of philosophical foundation,Mencius’ view of righteousness and profit is a moral humanism based on the goodness of nature,while Bentham’s utilitarianism is a natural humanism based on the desire for happiness and the avoidance of suffering.The values formed on these different philosophical foundations are necessarily different: based on the "goodness of nature" theory,Mencius advocates that "righteousness" is the highest criterion and that one must follow "righteousness" in seeking "profit"."Only by adhering to righteousness can a ruler ultimately realise his own righteousness.Based on "natural human nature",the starting point and premise of Bentham’s utilitarianism is man’s nature of seeking happiness and freedom from suffering,and Bentham advocates"utilitarianism" as the highest value principle,advocating the pursuit of "happiness"and "the greatest number of people" as permitted by law."The greatest happiness of the greatest number of people",according to him,is cumulative,and thus the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people is achieved through the individual’s active pursuit of his own interests or happiness.The similarity between the two is that they both seek the happiness of the state and society.While Bentham’s utilitarianism emphasises the ’greatest happiness of the greatest number’,Mencius exhorts rulers that ’it is better to be happy alone than to be happy with others’.This similarity has made it possible for the two to converge in modern China.A third party summarises and evaluates both.Mencius’ concept of righteousness and profit focuses on the role of morality,while Bentham’s utilitarianism emphasises the pursuit of human happiness,each with its own ideological characteristics and limitations.The comparison between Mencius’ view of righteousness and profit and Bentham’s utilitarianism has important implications for the construction of contemporary values in China,and the ideological outcomes of Mencius’ view of righteousness and profit and Bentham’s utilitarianism provide us with ideological references for how to properly treat the relationship between happiness and morality today.