5: Pullman's and Mencius' Unity of the Mind and Heart

Humans are endowed with reason and consciousness – very valuable and distinctive attributes. The human mind not only serves as a home for these distinctive human capabilities but it does so in a fully integrated, holistic way. “Man has no body distinct from his soul, for body is that portion of the soul discerned by the five senses” (William Blake, quoted by Philip Pullman, 2020).

Numerous scholars have attempted to make a clear distinction between the rational and emotional faculties, separating the mind and the heart as much as possible. “In Chinese, the word for mind and heart is actually one and the same: xin. The heart-mind is the seat of our emotions as well as the center of our rationality. It can deliberate, ponder, contemplate, and feel love, joy, and hatred. […] Good decisions are made when mind and heart are integrated” (Puett & Gross-Loh, 2016, pp. 70–71, on Mencius' philosophy).