ABSTRACT
This chapter explores similarities between the thought of the Chinese philosopher Confucius and the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, as presented in the writings of his student Plato, with regard to the cultivation of one’s virtues. It argues that if one approaches Plato from the Confucian tradition, the Socratic view of virtue as the best state-of-soul is not radical in the least. The chapter also explores the Platonic idea of sincerity and discusses the Plato’s exploration of the idea of soul for the purpose of illustrating the necessity and importance of sincerity in the Platonic idea of virtue in terms of accessing and improving one’s soul. Sincerity becomes one of the most extensively researched ideas by later Confucians and is first well developed in the book Centrality and Commonality. Sincerity and proper relationship are the starting place for the two masters in developing their respective schools of thought.
