Fraud, murder, courage, and strong will are all words that can be linked to humanity. These words will often raise questions like, who did it, how they did it, or why. Can it be that the true answer to these questions lies in getting a better understanding of our human nature? Does man act according to his divine plan, or is he taught how to act? In analyzing the works of Hsün Tzu and Jean-Paul Sartre, I will determine which of these two philosophers offers the strongest foundation for living an ethical life in the modern era.
HSÜN TZU
Hsün Tzu is one of the main founders of eastern philosophy and is considered one of the three great sages in China along with Mencius and Confucious. Tzu’s style of writing is poetic and easy to understand. In his writings, he repeats his main ideas constantly as if he were preaching. This is a style that we can identify as being used also by some of our politicians, teachers, and clergymen to name a few.
Tzu also states that, “ (man’s) goodness is the result of his activity” (198). This means that a man’s actions are what determine the goodness of such a man’s nature. However, Tzu explains that in reality man acts apparently good but only because his actions of goodness are born from selfish reasons. According to Tzu, because man’s nature is evil and his focus is on personal gain, man seeks the gain that comes from doing good. This idea continues to be argued today. One can find people in either side of this debate almost anywhere and anyplace. It is interesting to learn how his views on this matter originated from so long ago.
Tzu explains that in order for men to reach goodness they must be taught the “Way” by the sages. The Way teaches men the path to righteousness and pro...
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...ry to ask himself what the best solution could be that would be acceptable for other men to pursue, or if he does not find an answer within himself, he then could ask someone he deems wiser for his advice, but without trying to blame him for any negative consequences or results. I firmly believe that people could find answers to even the hardest questions in life if they seek every possible outcome and with patience seek help.
WORKS CITED
Torres Gregory, Wanda, and Donna Giancola. "Part 1: The European Traditions." World Ethics. Eds. Steve Wainwright, Lee McCracken, and Anna Lustig. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage learning, 2002. 142-147. Print.
Torres Gregory, Wanda, and Donna Giancola. "Part 2: The Asian Traditions." World Ethics. Eds. Steve Wainwright, Lee McCracken, and Anna Lustig. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage learning, 2002. 197-202. Print.
Nye, Howard. PHIL 250 B1, Winter Term 2014 Lecture Notes – Ethics. University of Alberta.
Hsun Tzu, a follower of Confucius, believed that human nature was to be fundamentally evil. Tzu, in “Encouraging Learning, wrote to Confucians questioning why should they be educated and what human nature really was. Since Confucius never stated his thought on human nature, some people suspect that humans needed to be educated not because they were evil, but because it was moral, and that way they could become into the person Confucius taught them to be. Tzu disagrees with this because of his belief, that humans, in fact, were born with wrong ideals. Tzu considers human nature to take its course on people, and that is why some people are inferior to others. But, with proper training and education, Tzu agrees Confucians can become a better person, and not just that they are becoming into the people that they are meant to be. It could be that Tzu wrote this to straighten out the mystery of what human nature was and how to fix humans evil nature.
Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements
Agents vs Acts Louden opens this section with this statement: “… it is commonplace that virtue theorists focus on good and bad agents rather than on right and wrong acts.” This is a good th... ... middle of paper ... ...
Cahn, Steven M. and Peter Markie, Ethics: History, Theory and Contemporary Issues. 4th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Thiroux, J. P., & Krasemann, K. W. (2009). Ethics: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
The next major influence on the Taoist belief was Chang Tzu. To him, Tzu’s writings defined the truth of life. He went on to write f...
Following the Way in the pursuit of goodness leads people to the status of “gentleman.” However, this status can only be achieved from a lifelong pursuit, which if accomplished by many, will eventually lead to innate goodness within the entire society. Confucius reveals the amount of learning and time required for achieving such status of “gentleman” in book two, chapter four, where he states, “At fifteen, I set my mind upon learning. At thirty, I took my stand. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned. At seventy, I follow all the desires of my heart without breaking any rule” (Analects, in NAWL, eds. Martin Puchner, et al., 3rd edition, vol. A, 1335). Confucius presents the achievement of the “gentleman” status in a superior, yet moderate manner. He does not motivate by promising personal gain or achievement; he instead teaches to always place what is right and morally correct as top priority. It was believed by Confucius that moderation led
Soccio, Douglas J. "The Asian Sages: Lao-Tzu, Confucius, and Buddha." Archetypes of Wisdom. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1995. 23+. Print
Thiroux, Jacques P., and Keith W. Krasemann. Ethics: Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
Is man naturally good or is he evil? This question has not only been pondered by countless philosophers, but also by religious leaders around the world. Most often a single religious faith believes in either one or the other, and often these beliefs tend to create a certain world-view which dictates much of the faith. However, in some cases such as the one I will be discussing, two religious dignitaries do not agree and the repercussions of this can be found throughout the religion. The two men are Mencius, an early pupil of Confucius and Hsun Tzu, a later follower of the same faith. Mencius believed that each man, born of woman, would be naturally good and Hsun Tzu believed almost the complete opposite. Through Mencius and Hsun Tzu’s differing beliefs on human nature a completely different world view was formed for each and it’s effect on their ideas and more importantly a young religion were apparent.
Boss, J. A. (2014). Ethics for Life (Sixth ed., pp. 252-255). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Koller, John M. Asian Philosophies. Ed. Craig Campanella. Edition ed. Vol. Sixth. N.p.: Pearson, 2011. Print.
Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113). Therefore, since the two religions grew up together, there are similarities, such as their views on humans, attempting to find harmony in life and in nature, and serve as guides for their followers through self-cultivation and improvement techniques. Confucianism believes that their congregation should have human conduct over the idea of God in their lives, whereas Taoism is formed on the belief that its congregation should create a relationship with nature. This is pointed out by Smith in Experiencing the World’s Religions, “Confucius represents the classical, Lao Tzu the romantic; Confucius stresses social responsibility, Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness; Confucius focus is on the human, Lao Tzu’s on what transcends the human” (Smith 218).
To begin, the definition of an ethical tradition must be addressed. As defined by Nardin in in Traditions of International Ethics, a tradition is a “long-established practice possessing something like the force of law, a practice that is authoritative precisely because of its status as a tradition,” (6). Ethical traditions are meant to stand up to the tests of time and scrutiny. In order to do so, they need to be interpreted and defended, like the law, by people across time. A tradition must have those who consider it a central focus in argumentation and interpretation and they must be able to convince newer generations of that tradition’s credibility. Additionally, there are three basic attributes of a tradition: it must look to the past, be an authority within some community of an inherited practice or belief, and it should have continuity in its transmission (6). Traditions should originate in the past; otherwise the ideas cannot be considered something to be passed down from previous generations. Defenders of a tradition should consider the idea or observation as aTraditions become ethical traditions because interpreters recognize the importance of interactions between actors within them. Without judging how a tradition affects...