The word "Mencius" is not a word in standard written English.
Instead, it is the Latinized version of the Chinese philosopher's name, which is "Mengzi" (孟子). Example sentence: I am reading a book on the philosophy of Mencius (Mengzi).
In practice, the later Mohist view would probably coincide roughly with the view attributed to a Mohist named Yi Zhi in a dialogue in the Mencius (3A5): "In care, no degrees; in practice, begin from one's parents".
This dates back to the golden age of classical Chinese philosophy of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and the rest in the "warring states" period before China's unification in 221BC under the first Qin emperor.
But for all his stress on filial piety, Mencius wanted children treated "with the kindness due to youth".
Mencius may have been reacting to Mohism.
This is according to the Mencius which, as observed earlier, is the early biographical source most concerned with charting Confucius' official career.
In two much debated passages, Mencius endorses the actions of a ruler who seems to put loyalty to his family over the welfare of the state (5A3, 7A35).
In summary, the impartial caring advocated by the Mohists is both perverse and impractical.[21] Although the Mohists are not mentioned explicitly in this passage, the word "profit" is central to their formulation of impartial consequentialism, so it is likely that Mencius intended their views as part of his target.
Notice also that, whereas Mencius encourages us to cultivate our heart, Zhuangzi encourages us to "fast" it.[24] It is common to observe that Mencius and Xunzi are speaking at cross purposes, because they assume different conceptions of the key term "nature" (Graham 1967).
The fundamentally different views of Mencius and Xunzi on human nature are reflected in their different metaphors for ethical cultivation.
Our main access to Mencius's thinking is through the eponymous collection of his dialogues, debates, and sayings, the Mengzi (Mencius).
Confucius stressed that appropriate emotions are essential to correct performance of rituals: "Someone who lacks magnanimity when occupying high office, who is not respectful when performing ritual, and who remains unmoved by sorrow when overseeing mourning rites how could I bear to look upon such a person?" (Analects 3.26; Slingerland 2003, 18) Mencius also stressed the importance of ritual.
