Analect 4.6 (ES)

     In analect 4.6 Confucius posits that he has never met anyone who either truly loves Goodness nor 

hated the lack of goodness. The distinction between the two are not exactly clear. He says that one who loves 

goodness, "could not be surpassed, while the one who hated a lack of Goodness would at least be able to 

act in a Good fashion, ash he would not tolerate that which is not Good being associated with his person".

examining not hating the lack of Goodness and truly loving it, begs the question of what exactly does it 

mean for the one who loves Goodness to not be able to be surpassed? 

    By truly loving Goodness is that to say one will be able to advance beyond simply not wanting to 

tolerate that which is not associated to 

them? Is tolerance the key difference and separation between the two? Further more if Confucius has 

never met anyone who fulfilled the conditions to belong to either category how can one ever reach one 

state, let alone the state to be able to truly love Goodness?. How can one recognize in themselves or in 

others if they have even reached on of these states. Is what truly loving Goodness or hating the lack of 

Goodness universal and to be applied in the exact same way for each and every person? If so how? If not, 

would one not conclude that what constitutes as loving Goodness to be subjective and different to each 

individual? Thus how would one know if they truly have reached such a level or not? Could by Confucius 

standards he has not met anyone in both categories, but in actuality he has, is that possible? 


Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshFebruary 6, 2022 at 9:57 PM

    It's a puzzling statement. Is this an emotional exclamation in a time of frustration, or an indication of just how high the standards are? If the latter, it would mean that normal "love of Goodness" is inadequate -- and so Confucius means us to examine carefully in what ways we love Goodness. It seems a provocation to self-reflection: "Really? Can it be that I do not truly love Goodness? What does love of Goodness look like?"

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