Tag Archives: Moral cultivation

A Speculation on the History of tì 弟/悌

At this link is a downloadable long paper defending a speculation on the history of 弟/悌.

Edward O. Shaughnessy has convinced me in personal communication that the part of this paper about the Odes is at least inadequately argued—or, as he would say, wrong. I have now posted an improved version of some of the rest of the paper (click here), focusing on xiàotì in the Analects and the Mencius.  –BH, 5/25/2026

Continue reading →

Episode 10 of “This Is the Way”: Moral Cultivation

How do we become good? What is the process by which we acquire the virtues? We examine these question by focusing on some key concepts in Mencius’s account of moral development such as reflection and extension. This discussion also centers on Mengzi 1A7 and the famous “king and the ox” passage that has been the subject of much conversation and debate. Continue reading →