Confucius
remains vague on the exact nature of human nature and says precious little in
the Analects for his disciples to
record. In the Confucian tradition, it is Mencius who defined human nature in
essentially positive terms as good. I propose to look at the interpretive
strategies that traditional commentators employed to read the Analects in order to eliminate any
possible discrepancies between Confucius and Mencius, and to establish the
Confucian tradition of philosophical and moral humanism. I shall discuss the
significance of such manipulative commentaries for the making of a Confucian
humanism, and situate Confucian humanism and its ramifications in the larger
context of East-West comparative studies.
Key words: The Analects, Confucius,
Mencius, human nature, commentary