“The lord a lord, the minister a minister, the father a father, the son a son.” Roles and virtues in Plato, Aristotle, the Mencius and the Xunzi
Abstract
How are roles and virtues related? Although it is not new
that roles are discussed in early Chinese political-ethical
literature, they have not yet been sufficiently appreciated
in the practical philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. This study
offers a detailed examination of two early Chinese and two
ancient Greek texts and argues that specifically role-related
virtues are structurally fundamental in both Plato’s Republic
and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics-Politics, as well as in the
Mencius and the Xunzi.
that roles are discussed in early Chinese political-ethical
literature, they have not yet been sufficiently appreciated
in the practical philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. This study
offers a detailed examination of two early Chinese and two
ancient Greek texts and argues that specifically role-related
virtues are structurally fundamental in both Plato’s Republic
and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics-Politics, as well as in the
Mencius and the Xunzi.
Date Issued
2025-09
Publication Type
Book
Subjects
Politics
•
Ethics
•
Greek Philosophy
•
Chinese Philosophy
•
Comparative Philosophy
•
Plato
•
Aristotle
•
Mencius
•
Xunzi
Language(s)
en
Additional Credits
Publisher
Meiner Verlag
Access(Rights)
metadata.only