Is Kin Selection Confirmatory of the Mencian "Four Sprouts" Idea?
Kin selection is an important biological process which has significant implications for ethics in general, and Ruist (i.e., Confucian) ethics in particular. Chinese and non-Chinese scholars alike have directed attention to the link between kin selection and Mencian thought, and some of them take the...
| Publicado en: | Chinese Literature & Thought Today Vol. 57; no. 1/2; pp. 70 - 82 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Essay |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=196267539&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 196267539 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 27683524 N4K5 jtl: Chinese Literature & Thought Today issn: 27683524 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2026 vid: 57 iid: 1/2 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 196267539 10.1080/27683524.2026.2646120 ppf: 70 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 4.6MB tig: atl: Is Kin Selection Confirmatory of the Mencian "Four Sprouts" Idea? aug: au: Martin, Jordan B. Zhu, Hanmin su: Kin selection (Evolution) Mencius, ca. 372 B.C.-ca. 289 B.C. Confucian ethics Sociocultural factors Historical analysis Confucianism sug: subj: Kin selection (Evolution) Mencius, ca. 372 B.C.-ca. 289 B.C. Confucian ethics Sociocultural factors Historical analysis Confucianism ab: Kin selection is an important biological process which has significant implications for ethics in general, and Ruist (i.e., Confucian) ethics in particular. Chinese and non-Chinese scholars alike have directed attention to the link between kin selection and Mencian thought, and some of them take the former to be confirmatory of the latter. Given that the Four Sprouts idea is central to Mencian ethics, the following question can be posed: is kin selection confirmatory of the Four Sprouts idea? We conclude that the answer to this question is a qualified "no": kin selection not only fails to positively confirm the Four Sprouts idea, but rather necessitates contemporary interpreters of the Mencius to re-evaluate the cogency of many of its various historical readings. Such readings, if they are to be compatible with kin selection: will need to place due emphasis on the effects of culture; will need to admit that the Four Sprouts are common to some species other than just humans; and must not take the Four Sprouts to be purely metaphysical. If we are to take kin selection as supportive of contemporary interpretations of Mencian thought today, we must search for such support somewhere other than in the Four Sprouts idea. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Essay src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Chinese Literature & Thought Today is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Chinese Literature & Thought Today holder: Taylor & Francis Ltd dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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