ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Doctrine of the Mean

The Doctrine of the Mean is a philosophy from ancient China. It means that a person should not be too extreme in their behavior: they should try to stay in the middle, or in the “mean”. For example, if someone likes eating sweets, they should not eat too many, because eating too much sugar can be bad for their health. Instead, they should aim for a moderate amount of sweet food.