ANSWERS: 2
  • In chinese philosophy the concept of good and bad don't exist as seperate from one another. They are the same. You can't have one without the other.
  • According to Mencius, one of the more important Confucian philosophers, human beings begin life with a heart that bears four germs of goodness. These germs are fragile, but if nurtured, they are the basis for virtue. A later Confucian scholar, Xunzi, argued strongly against Mencius' assessment, claiming that human nature is evil, and goodness is a result of conscious activity. The Legalist school, as represented by Han Feizi, agreed generally with Xunzi, but did not consider individual virtue to be useful--they believed that behaviour should be modified strictly by the "two handles of government:" rewards and punishment. The Daoists regarded "good" as simply that which flows with the Dao--moral distinctions were discarded as irrelevant. Mozi did not comment on the matter--it is likely that the controversy had not yet arisen during his lifetime. It can be inferred from his teaching about universal love that Mozi probably assumed human beings to be essentially good, otherwise his philosophy would have been somewhat nonsensical. The Han emperors eventually dubbed Confucianism the official doctrine of the empire, and by and large they took Mencius' interpretations as truth. Although many of his ideas were used quite effectively, Xunzi's association with the discredited Legalists tainted his arguments in the minds of the early Han scholars. For further reading, I recommend D.C. Lau's introduction to his translation of Mencius. ISBN 0-140-44971-X Also, Burton Watson's translation of Xunzi: 0-231-12965-3, the chapter appropriately entitled "Man's Nature is Evil." There is some useful information sprinkled through the chapter "Dispelling Obsession" as well.

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