Original Nature of Man

A detailed Summary of Original Nature of Man

This essay is on the original nature of man as perceived by Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, Kao Tzu and Hsun Tzu. The following will be my learning and understanding of each philosopher's idea on the inborn good and evil of man.

Hsun Tzu, an exponent of the principles of Confucius, represents the realist wing and emphasized on social control and insisted upon the weakness of human nature. Hsun Tzu believes that the original nature of man is evil. He thinks that at birth, men possess the passion for profit. When they follow this passion, they strive to "usurp all they can without regard for modesty and prudence". Men are born with hate and envy. When they follow these instincts, they seek the ruin of others without regard for loyalty and fidelity. By birth men have the lusts of the ear and eye and a passion for music and beauty. When they follow these lusts, they commit excesses without regard for ritual and righteousness, culture and reason. Therefore when men give "rein to their congenital nature" and follow their feelings, they quarrel and grab, end up by opposing culture and confounding reason; and they culminate in violence. "Only under the restraint of law and the influence of ritual and right

"Crooked wood need to undergo steaming and bending; only then is it straight. Blunt metal needs to undergo grinding and whetting: only then is it sharp. The evil of human nature likewise needs to be rectified under the restraint of authority and laws and to be regulated under the observance of ritual and righteousness (chan.128)."

Confucius believed that by nature human is good. This believe is essentially that of Mencius other than the fact while Confucius no more than implied that human nature is good, Mencius declared definitely that it is originally good.

When nature prevails over culture, you get a savage; when culture prevails over nature, you get a pedant. When nature and culture are in balance, you get a gentleman (Analects)."

Mencius, like a true Confucianist, believes that human are born good. Mencius is the most important philosopher on the question of human nature, for he is the father of the theory of the original goodness of human nature. For example, children are born to be good, that they know how to love their mother. Adults will have an urge to save a child trapped in a well because of the same instinct: the instinct of human love and compassion. According to Mencius, man possesses the four germs of goodness. However, one needs to continue self-cultivation through conscious activity to keep the four germs away from the harm of the evil forces. Mencius said the following:

Lao Tzu's view on original nature of man is that men are originally happy but suffers as a result of changes bought on by society. He believes that the best way to be happy is to undo the present artificial civilization and to live in tranquil communion with nature-among forests and streams and hills. In my opinion Lao Tzu

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Approximate Word count = 1171
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English