philosophy

A detailed Summary of philosophy

Is human nature naturally good or is it evil? This question has not only been pondered by countless philosophers, but also by religious leaders around the world. Both Mencius and Hsun Tzu are brilliant Chinese philosophy thinkers and followers of Confucius, however, their perception of human nature is quite different. Mencius believes that human beings are fundamentally good and that they have a natural potential for goodness. Hsun Tzu on the other hand believes that human beings are fundamentally evil and self-seeking. Hsun Tzu also believes that human beings have a potential for goodness but only through conscious activity. In comparing Mencius view and Hsun Tzu this essay will prove that Mencius believes that human nature is basically good and is only impeded by an evil social environment, while the more vaild is Hsun Tzu view is that human nature is basically evil in the sense of being self-centered and needs education and social control to become good.

Mencius believes that human nature is fundamentally good, everyone has a heart that is sensitive to the suffering of others. However people are not perfect many are flawed, but they are capable of being good according to Mencius. When Mencius was asked by a man Kun

Hsun Tzu's view on human nature is that it is fundamentally evil because of the passions and emotions people have for profit. He believes that goodness does exist but it is only the result of conscious activity. People have to think before they create goodness, because they are born with feelings of envy, hate and desires for beautiful things. Hsun Tzu believes that if people give in to these fondness and feelings they will violate the rules and laws of society end up as criminals. "Any man who follows his nature and indulges his emotions will inevitably become involved in wrangling and strife, will violate the forms and rules of society..." (Courseware, 37) Since peoples initial instinct is to profit and follow ones emotions a person must be transformed by instructions of someone wiser like a teacher who will guide and observe the persons actions. If man were to have no teachers to guided them than they will be inclined towards evil and there will be no courtesy or humility, because courtesy and humility are contrary to man's emotional nature. Its is man's emotional nature to love profit and desire gain. Hsun Tzu says:

If he associates with good companion, he will be able to

"From this it can be seen that whoever is devoid of the heart

of compassion is not human... and whoever is devoid of the heart of

upon the weak and rob them, the many terrorize the few and extort from

of the world treat each other. He will find that the powerful impose

them, and in no time the whole world will be give up to chaos and mutual

he is not aware of it, he will day by day progress in the practiceof benevolence and righteousness, for the enviornment he is subjected to will cause him to progress. The people with whom a person associates have a big influence on whether the person will be good or not. Therefore if a person associates with people who are not good, he will also become like them because of the enviornment he is subjected to. For a person to be good and just the evnroment and the people he associates with have to also poses goodness because a person adapts to what he is exposed to. Hsun Tzus view is that all humans are born with the same nature which is evil however if they willing than they are able to transform their nature with the help of a guide to be good. Without teachers or guides to help people transform their nature people would be evil, and there would be great chaos in the world, Hsun Tzu view that human nature evil is more valid than Mencius'.

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Approximate Word count = 2430
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

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