The Similarities of the Mean between Confucius and Aristotle

苗亞男　莊夢琪

Abstract：The doctrine of the Mean is praised by Aristotle and Confucius. It has an important academic position in ethics theories both in the Western and Eastern philosophical fields. Having a better understanding of the doctrine of the Mean will benefit us in further study of virtuous ethical theories. By comparison， we can discover that the thoughts of Confucius and Aristotle have many similar places.

Key words：Mean；similarity；Confucius；Aristotle

中圖分類號：B502 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1005-5312（2017）23-0072-01

There are many similarities in the ideas of Confucius and Aristotle， such as the background， the relationship between external actions and virtue.

At first， both of the two ideas arise from the complex and turbulent social conditions.

So inevitably， they became branded by the ruling class. Both Confucius and Aristotle lived in a period of great social upheaval. The period when Confucius lived was in transition. The old system collapsed. So the cultural reflection arose. It required further understanding of social practices in history. Aristotle lived in the end of the ancient classical period of Greece. The city-state system had declined， and was eventually destroyed by Macedonia. Both of them lived in an era which was full of social contradictions. So their way of thinking and values also underwent profound changes. Due to mediation on the old and new contradiction， the doctrine of the mean arose at the historic moment.

Secondly， to Aristotle， moral virtue needs to be delivered by virtuous actions externally.

With virtuous actions， people become honest. In this sense， moral virtue cannot exist without actions， and the Mean cant be the excellence of character. Thus because it is motivated by actions， the Mean becomes a behavioral virtue.

The same idea also appears in Confucius doctrine of the Mean. Confucius named it as Zhong Yong. Zhong Yong is the harmony of a state of actions. Harmony is a linkage of internal mind and external actions. Besides， men must have sincerity. Sincerity is a good character of a man to have moral virtue. Men must have be sincere to his work and his family.

Thirdly， they both emphasize moderation.

Moderation is an ancient and important virtue to the ancient Greeks. It is a hidden spirit in the great Delphic motto， such as "Know thyself ". In Aristotle's view， those moderate people dont simply deny fun， but they hold a moderate attitude towards it. People should pursue things which can make a man healthy and happy in a proper way. Aristotle thinks that Platos point that men should reject all happiness is extreme and negative. He puts forward the idea that some spiritual and aesthetic pursuit of happiness should be active.endprint

Confucius also attaches great importance to the virtue of moderation. It is not only because this morality can make people have introspection and cultivate their morality， but also excessive expansion of desire is natural enemies for people to pursue other kinds of morality. So in Confucius' opinion， the virtue of moderation is the premise and foundation of other virtues， and is the key of benevolence. Although Confucius emphasizes moderation， but like Aristotle， he doesnt go to the extreme – abstinence. He admits that everyone should have reasonable human desires. The satisfaction of desire needs external conditions， especially the most basic material resources. Faced with the limited material resources， Confucian emphasizes that we should have a moderate life. Especially for rulers， they shouldnt abuse their authority and have lavish life. But it is appropriate to enjoy life on the condition of nonconflict between morality and desire.

In conclusion， due to similar background，there are many similarities. The essence of their ideas is that they both emphasize truth， which is our destination in pursuing the good life and human goodness. Both of their thoughts are the treasure of human culture， and we should absorb its essence to promote our country's ethical construction.

References：

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[2]何元國.亞里士多德的“德性”與孔子的“德”之比較[J].中國哲學史，2005（03）.

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