Born in Zou
Born in the small state of Zou, near Confucius's homeland. His mother famously moved houses three times to find the right neighborhood for his education. He grew up steeped in the Confucian tradition.
Mencius was Confucius' most important successor. He argued that human nature is good at its root: anyone who sees a child about to fall into a well will feel alarm and compassion, not because of any reward but because that is what it means to be human. Evil comes not from our nature but from neglect and bad conditions, the way fertile soil produces weeds when unattended. He traveled the Warring States like Confucius before him, advising rulers that a king who loses the mandate of heaven through cruelty can rightfully be overthrown.
Born in the small state of Zou, near Confucius's homeland. His mother famously moved houses three times to find the right neighborhood for his education. He grew up steeped in the Confucian tradition.