Abstract
Contrary to what several prominent scholars contend, a number of important early Confucians ground their ethical claims by appealing to the authority of tian, Heaven, insisting that Heaven endows human beings with a distinctive ethical nature and at times acts in the world. This essay describes the nature of such appeals in two early Confucian texts: the Lunyu (Analects) and Mengzi (Mencius). It locates this account within a larger narrative that begins with some of the earliest conceptions of a supreme deity in China. The essay concludes by noting some similarities and differences between these early Confucian accounts and more familiar views commonly shared by monotheists.
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Ivanhoe, P.J. Heaven as a Source for Ethical Warrant in Early Confucianism. Dao 6, 211–220 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-007-9013-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-007-9013-1