When New School is Still Old School:
A Neo-Confucianist Take on Principle

Because of all the ritual, reverence and general rectitude of the man, I never thought much of Confucius until I read some of the later thinkers. In Philip Ivanhoe's book "Confucian Moral Self Cultivation," these insights by a Qing Dynasty philosopher and philologist, Dai Zhen, jumped out at me. I think they're relevant now as ever.

Someone asked, "What did the ancients mean by heavenly principle?"

(Dai) responded, "Principle is feelings that do not err. One can never be without the proper feelings and still have principle. Whenever one does something to another, one should turn within onself and calmly consider, If another had done this to me would I be willing to accept it? Whenever one requests something of another, one should turn within onself and calmly consider, If another requested this of me would I be willing to do it? If one measures (ones treatment of) others with oneself, then principle will be clear."

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When the ancients talked about principle, they sought for it in human feelings and desires; they took following principle to be a matter of causing feelings and desires to be without flaw. When people today talk about principle, they seek for it apart from human feelings and desires; they take following principle to be a matter of causing oneself to endure yet be indifferent to feelings and desires. This distinction between principle and desire is just the thing that will turn the people of the world into deceivers and hypocrites.

--from sections 2 & 42 of the Mengzi Ziyi Shuzheng ("The Meaning of Terms in the Mencius Explained and Verified") by Dai Zhen (1723-1777)