Compare And Contrast Mencius And Confucianism

The Social Hierarchy of Inborn Traits: An Analysis of Cultivation of the Self and Innate Goodness of Human beings in Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi

This comparison analysis will define the social hierarchy of the cultivation of the self and the innate goodness of human beings as a point of conjecture in the writings of Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. The writings of Confucius define the social hierarchy of evil as an inborn trait, which must continually be cultivated by the wisest and strongest of people. In contrast to this, Mencius feels that human beings are innately good, but they must also continue to follow the living a good life through wisdom and self-development. In a similar way, Xunzi was not unlike Confucius in believing in the innate evil in humankind, yet he followed the similar process of …show more content…
In terms of social hierarchy, Confucius believed that the great rulers could achieve jen, which could transform the innate traits of evil into a person of good behavior and high social standing. In contrast to the inborn trait of evil, Mencius believed that human beings were like “sprouts” that could be cultivated to sustain the natural goodness of the individual in an “evil world.” In a similar way, Xunzi would agree with Mencius on the subject of self-cultivation, but he would typically side with Confucius on the inborn qualities of evil in human beings. However, all three of these philosophers agree on the premise of self-cultivation, which can bring greater social standing through moral and ethical training and ritual. These are the important perspectives on self-cultivation that define the philosophical traditions of Chinese evaluations of inborn traits as a problem that needs to be addressed through the goodness of moral and ethical behaviors in