This dissertation reinterprets the notion commonly translated as "human nature" (renxing in the Mencius by appealing to philosophical assumptions common to Warring States thought. Taking advantage of recently unearthed archeological finds from the Mencian school, the argument is made that renxing in the Mencius is most adequately understood as a dynamic disposition shaped by cultural and historical conditions, not as an a-historical "nature" common to all humans at all times. The notion of "becoming human" in the Mencius that results from this re-reading brings the text as a whole into focus. The central themes of the Mencius - the role of family, personal growth, moral development, and human advancement - are each understood within the framework of this alternative reading. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-177). / xxv, 177 leaves, bound 29 cm

Thesis (M.A.)--Zhongguo wen hua xue yuan. / Reproduced from typescript. Bibliography: leaves 165-169.

Thesis (M.A.)--Fu ren da xue. / Reproduced from typescript. Bibliography: p. 79-80.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--Hong Kong Baptist University, 2000. / Thesis submitted to the Dept. of Chinese Language and Literature. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-244).

Thesis (M.A.)--Fu ren da xue. / Reproduced from typescript. Bibliography: p. 193-196.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis--Fu ren da xue. / Cover title. Mimeo. copy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123).

Thesis (M.A.)--Guo li T'ai wan da hsüch. / Reproduced from ms. copy. Cover title. Bibliography: p. 119-135.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-243). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.