Mencius and the Natural Environment
Cecilia Wee
Environmental ethicists who look to East Asian world-views and philosophical outlooks for a fruitful way of conceiving the relationship of humans to Nature usually turn to Taoism, Buddhism, and even Shintoism for inspiration. They rarely turn to Confucianism, and in particular to the early Confucians. The latter are usually seen as entirely humanist in outlook – that is, they are concerned with how humans should relate to other humans, and with the ordering and flourishing of human societies.
In this paper, I focus on one early Confucian – viz., Mencius, and examine his attitude towards Nature. I argue that initial examination might suggest that he viewed the natural world as having only instrumental value. Nevertheless, the appropriate expansion of Mencius’ fundamental tenets would lead to an interesting account of the relation between humans and nature - one that balances human concerns with respect for nature. Such an account could be useful as we try to re-conceive the relation between humans and nature against the backdrop of rapid Asian economic development.