Examining Contending Views on Human Nature: Mancius vs. Xunzi

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Examining Contending Views on Human Nature: Mancius vs. Xunzi

Throughout human intellectual history, mankind has debated the question: “are humans good by nature?” Do humans do good out of only self-centered motivations, or is there an internal built-in sense of morality? Today, we face this problem more than ever. For example, if a lawyer argues a killer’s intentions for committing heinous crimes originate from the fact that he has a tendency towards naturally incompetency, or if outside influences turned a naturally well-to-do individual into a ill-willed murderer. Mencius and Xunzi are among the most notable Confucian scholars, yet their differing views on this philosophical conundrum set them apart. Mencius maintained an optimistic stance on humans, while Xunzi believed that humans were ill-willed by nature and in need of rigorous moral education and reform. Both scholars had a large impact on the interpretations of Confucian doctrines and the strive for moral cultivation throughout Chinese history. This makes their unique stances on human nature especially relevant when examining Chinese as well as human civilization as a whole. In this paper, I will argue that although contemporary philosophers in today’s society would most readily agree with much of Mencius’ moral philosophy, Xunzi has a more realistic perspective on contemporary societal ideologies. In order to accurately purvey my argument I will use the primary sources; Mencius: a new translation arranged and annotated for the general reader; and Xunzi: a translation and study of the complete works translated and arranged respectively by W. A. C. H. Dobson and John Knoblock. I will also use a number of historical and contemporary secondary sources to assist and fur...

... middle of paper ...

...for the general reader. [Toronto]: University of Toronto Press.

Xunzi, and John Knoblock. 1988. Xunzi: a translation and study of the complete works. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press.

Secondary Sources:

Adler, J.A. 2011 (14 April). Confucianism in China Today. Online: http://www2.kenyon.edu/ Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Writings/Confucianism %20Today.pdf (22 August 2011)

Cua, A. S. 2005. Human nature, ritual, and history studies in Xunzi and Chinese philosophy. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. http://site.ebrary.com/id/ 10267237.

Handey, Jack. 2008. "HOW THINGS EVEN OUT." New Yorker 84, no. 3: 41. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 28, 2014).

Mair, Victor H.; Steinhardt, Nancy S.; Goldin, Paul R., eds., Hawai'i reader in traditional Chinese culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005.

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