Kang Youwei
The doctrine of the Three Ages is discussed in Neo-Confucian and New Confucian teachings, the "Gongyang Commentary" and the "Datong shu" of Kang Youwei. The Confucian interpretation is comparable to the doctrine of the Spirit in Hegelian thought. "Ren" ("humaneness", the essence of human being) develops and matures progressively to higher stages in history.