This thesis focuses on the issue ofmoral cultivation in Confucianism, specifically whether Confucian moral cultivation theory can be systematically expounded or presented in its entirety. While there have been numerous discussions on Confucian moral cultivation theory, it is rare to find elaborations on whether Confucian moral cultivation theory could be systematically organized. In this thesis I argue that Mou Zongsan's concept of "ni-chueh-ti-jeng" in moral cultivation actually demonstrates that Confucian moral cultivation theory can be systematically expounded. I call it the idea of the procedure of "ni-chueh-ti-jeng," which suggests that Mou Zongsan's moral cultivation theory can progress through different stages in a systematic manner, with each stage building upon the previous one.
Furthermore, I employ the procedure theory to some Confucian scholars in the Yangming school as an example of its usefulness and contends that the procedure of " ni-chueh-ti-jeng " can evaluate the significance and controversy raised by Yangming school scholars in their moral cultivation theory. In particular, I discusses the thoughts on moral cultivation of Wang Longxi, Luo Jinxi, and Nieh Shuangchiang as examples .
Lastly, I also employs Confucian cultivation theory in response to the discussion on Western theories of internalism, thereby highlighting how Confucian moral consciousness internalism can avoid the problems associated with Williams' and Korsgaard's theories of internalism.