ABSTRACT

The term “egoism,” wei wo, in Chinese ethics is usually associated with Yang Zhu, but it encompasses issues much wider than the narrow and overriding conception of self-interest attributed to him by Mencius (Mengzi): “Even if he could benefit the Empire by pulling one hair he would not do it” (Mencius, 7A26). These include questions about the possibility of universal love, the extension of benevolence, human nature, the ultimate motivation for behavior, self-cultivation, the value of spontaneity, and the conflict between particularistic concern-i.e., concern for one’s kin-and nonparticularistic concern. These related issues surround classical figures like Mozi, Yang Zhu, Gaozi, Mencius, and, beyond them, the neo-Confucians.