Zhi 志 in Mencius: a Chinese notion of moral agency

Asian Philosophy 29 (1):20-33 (2019)
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Abstract

ABSTRACTZhi is an important Chinese notion that conveys among other things human capacity to set aims, to determine a course of action, or to persist in a resolve. The term naturally turns up in Chinese contributions to Western Free Will debate. In this paper, I explain zhi by working out a comparison that goes from East to West. I do a three-fold textual analysis of zhi focusing on the Mencius. I outline different usages found in the text, examine a nuanced, dominant meaning suggested in 2A.2, and discuss notional features based on language patterns. My analysis yields a more homegrown understanding of zhi which I shall compare with Western expressions of moral agency.

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10.1080/09552367.2019.1579431

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Mencius.D. C. Lau - 1984 - Penguin Classics. Edited by D. C. Lau.
Aristotle's ethics.David Bostock - 2000 - New York: Oxford University Press.
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics.Roger Crisp (ed.) - 2005 - Cambridge University Press.
Mencius.Earle J. Coleman - 1972 - Philosophy East and West 22 (1):113-114.

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