Military ethics of Xunzi: Confucianism confronts war.

Confucius and Mencius intentionally refrained from further discussing military actions because of their consistent belief of ethical governance, thus creating a theoretical gap. This study explores the military ethics in Confucianism by analyzing Xunzi. Xunzi transformed the negative attitude toward war promoted by Confucius and Mencius and argued that war does not contradict the values of humaneness and justice because people supporting these values condemn those who violate such values. One must prevent violence and eradicate evil through war, rather than using war for personal incentives to protect the normal operation of a society. Xunzi promoted the use of temporary military actions as a means for restoring social order, changing the traditional Confucian antiwar perspective of “those who are benevolent have no enemy” advocated by Confucius and Mencius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]