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Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies
ISSN 0577-9170; DOI 10.6503/THJCS

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Metaphor, Feeling and Reason: Positioning Mencius' Argumentation in Contemporary Western Philosophy

Vol. 38 No. 3   9/2008    

Title

Metaphor, Feeling and Reason: Positioning Mencius' Argumentation in Contemporary Western Philosophy

Author

Norman Y. Teng

Genre

Article  

Pages

485-504

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PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

metaphor, feeling, reframing, Mencius, John Rawls

Abstract

  This study offers a metaphorical analysis of Mencius' arguments. A prominent tactic that Mencius uses in his arguments is reframing. He does not merely argue for or against a conclusion; instead he also reframes the presuppositions and changes the metaphors surrounding a particular issue and, in doing so, alters people's views on that issue. The Mencian tactic of reframing is applied not only to argumentation; it is also used to readjust people's feelings and perceptions of what is reasonable in moral and political domains. The fact of reasonable pluralism in our time, as characterized by John Rawls (1993/2005), makes this reframing tactic even more apt. A comparison of Rawls' theory of justice and Mencius' political thought is made with reference to the reframing perspective.

 

 

Author: Norman Y. Teng
Genre: Article
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