ABSTRACT
Ren (or jen, humanity or humaneness) is a fundamental concept of Confucianism and of Confucian sociopolitical ethics. In proposing this concept, Confucius seems to have been responding to conditions of social turmoil. His aim was to revitalize the ancient social order of the Zhouli by investing it with a transcendental meaning. Ren can be construed as an ethical virtue, as the summation of all ethical virtues, and as a universalizing capacity within human nature-a realization of goodness. The concept of ren underwent notable changes in the course of the development of Confucianism throughout Chinese history.
