PHILOSOPHER

Mencius

372 BC - 289 BC

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Icon of person Mencius

Mencius (孟子, Mèngzǐ, MEN-shee-əs; c. 371 – c. 289 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage (亞聖) to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting his ideology and developing it further. Living during the Warring States period, he is said to have spent much of his life travelling around the states offering counsel to different rulers. Conversations with these rulers form the basis of the Mencius, which would later be canonised as a Confucian classic. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Mencius is the 91st most popular philosopher (down from 83rd in 2019), the 28th most popular biography from China (up from 29th in 2019) and the 6th most popular Chinese Philosopher.

Mencius is most famous for his philosophy of human nature. He believed that humans are inherently good and that the mind is a blank slate.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Mencius ranks 91 out of 1,267. Before him are Theophrastus, Porphyry, Athanasius of Alexandria, Rudolf Christoph Eucken, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, and Jürgen Habermas. After him are Johann Gottfried Herder, John of Damascus, Aristippus, George Berkeley, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and Carl von Clausewitz.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 372 BC, Mencius ranks 1. After him is Alexis. Among people deceased in 289 BC, Mencius ranks 1. After him is Agathocles of Syracuse.

Others Born in 372 BC

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  • Photo of Mencius

    Mencius

    PHILOSOPHER

    372 BC - 289 BC

    HPI: 79.37

    Rank: 1

  • Photo of Alexis

    Alexis

    WRITER

    372 BC - 270 BC

    HPI: 62.90

    Rank: 2

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Others Deceased in 289 BC

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In China

Among people born in China, Mencius ranks 28 out of 1,610. Before him are Hu Jintao (1942), Zhu Xi (1130), Empress Dowager Cixi (1835), Cao Cao (155), Temür Khan (1265), and Toghon Temür (1320). After him are Qianlong Emperor (1711), Kanishka (78), Cai Lun (48), Jiang Zemin (1926), Toshiro Mifune (1920), and Zhuge Liang (181).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In China

Among philosophers born in China, Mencius ranks 6. Before him are Confucius (-551), Laozi (-604), Sun Tzu (-544), Zhuang Zhou (-369), and Zhu Xi (1130). After him are Mozi (-470), Han Fei (-280), Xun Kuang (-313), Milarepa (1052), Shen Kuo (1031), and Wang Yangming (1472).

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