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According to Xunzi's theory of evil human nature, morality will ultimately become a tool of external value used to maintain social stability and appeal to authoritarianism. Mencius' theory of good human nature, on the other hand, states that humans are inherently good and we have an internal value foundation (the Four Beginnings).
Mencius[a] (MEN-shee-əs; c. 371 – c. 289 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage (亞聖) to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting his ideology and developing it further. [1][2] Living during the Warring States ...
The Xunzi (Chinese: 荀子) is an ancient Chinese collection of philosophical writings attributed to and named after Xun Kuang, a 3rd-century BCE philosopher usually associated with the Confucian tradition. The Xunzi emphasizes education and propriety, and asserts that "human nature is detestable". [1] The text is an important source of early ...
Human nature. For other uses, see Human nature (disambiguation). Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting —that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or what it ' means ' to be human.
Diametrically opposed to Mencius, in regards to human nature, was the interpretation of Xunzi (c. 300 – 237 BC), another Confucian follower. Xunzi preached that man is not innately good; he asserted that goodness is attainable only through training one's desires and conduct.
Mencius's core ideas on education and human nature were largely shaped during the Warring States period (c. 770 – 221 BC). [4] When the Zhou dynasty was ended by the Qin, Mencius and other scholars went to the different kingdoms and advised the rulers and people like in the Jixia Academy. It was during this time that Mencius was able to ...
Gaozi's teachings are no longer extant, but he was a contemporary of Mencius (ca. 372-289 BCE), and most of our knowledge about him comes from the Mencius book (6) titled "Gaozi". Warring States philosophers disputed whether human nature is originally good (Mencius) or evil ( Xunzi ). [ 1 ]
Mencius (4th century BCE) articulated the innate goodness in human beings as a source of the ethical intuitions that guide people towards rén, yì, and lǐ, while Xunzi (3rd century BCE) underscored the realistic and materialistic aspects of Confucian thought, stressing that morality was inculcated in society through tradition and in ...