This is a modified portion of an article titled “Mencius and Xunzi on the Legitimate Use of Offensive Force: A Pacifistic Critique of Recent Just War Interpretations,” which was published in the journal Philosophy Compass, in 2022, by Kurtis Hagen. A more complete argument can be found in the middle four chapters of Hagen’s book Lead Them with Virtue: A Confucian Alternative to War, published in 2021, by Lexington Books.
This summary focuses on Xinzhong Yao’s pacifistic interpretation of Mencius and Xunzi as well as the concept of “just war pacifism.” It argues that there is strong textual evidence supporting a pacifistic interpretation of Mencius and Xunzi, and that this pacifistic position is not naive.
This "bonus" episode does not address conspiracy theories, at least not directly. Rather, it addresses the early Confucian perspective on war. Note however that there is a close connection between war and conspiracy theory. Many political conspiracy theories allege that provocations for war have been manufactured, or that the authorities are lying about the justification. Other conspiracy theories allege that an assassinated leader was killed, at least in part, due to his anti-war (or at least insufficiently hawkish) stance. Still others allege the rigging of elections that have implications for war.
