Human Nature: The Views Of Mengzi And Xunzi

Human nature is neutral. When a baby is born, they are born as a blank page, an individual that has not been tainted by the cruelty found in this world, but also somebody who has not been exposed to the profound goodness that can be revealed among individuals. No baby comes out the womb looking to murder and eat another being, however overtime that child is taught that eating an animal is acceptable and beneficial for their overall health. This example is especially stimulating when setting a baby down for dinner, if you put a fruit on one side, and a chicken on the other, which side might become that child’s dinner? When the option is entirely up to the child? No human being is born to kill, they are taught immorality through their environment, and what they are exposed to. While on the …show more content…
Mengzi, believes human nature is good and that all humans are born with “sprouts” the sprouts of judgement, goodness, righteousness, and right and wrong, and anyone without these sprouts were not human. Whereas Xunzi, believes that human nature is bad, and any individual who demonstrates goodness is only displaying goodness out of deliberate effort. I agree with both of the Confucian philosophers based on these examples. However, I simply disagree that human nature itself is good nor bad, since without one there cannot be the other. If human nature were good, there would be no need to question it, and vice versa. How could there be good people if human nature itself is bad? Where would the good or bad come from? Therefore, by seeing this question from this perspective, I agree that humans can exert their deliberate efforts to be whichever they decide to be, whether that is good, or bad, we are all capable of being