[Mengzi Goodness of human nature The good and evil of human nature is a controversial problem in the Chinese and foreign history, Majority of ethicists such as Laozi, Mengzi, Xunzi etc. published their own opinions on human nature, good and evil in human nature of the different answer to construct the theory system. The most significant influence about ancient Chinese history theory of human nature of is Mencius’s theory of “goodness” which I believe is the impressed content I learned from ancient Chinese philosophy.
The understanding of human nature from Mencius is mainly from the nature of the people to understand the moral attribute of human nature, that human nature is “people who are different from animals. Physiological instincts are something that is human born with and is necessary to support the survival of people. It is something in common between human and animals. Mencius took the goodness of human nature as the basis of policy of benevolence, implementation of benevolent governance can make the effect of rule of the king.
On morality, Mencius advocate image of the moral value guidance of “give up one’s life for righteousness”, and also take” righteousness “as one of goodness is from the argument. Life is something I desire; righteousness is also something | desire. If I cannot have both, I will forsake life and select righteousness. This statement is well-known in Chinese culture because it Book six specifically illustrate that Gaozi said, “Human nature is like a willow tree; righteousness is like cups and bowls.
To make human nature benevolent and righteous is like making a willow tree into cups and bowls. Gaozi’s point view are different with other philosopher, and he don’t think human nature is evil, He highlighted the ethics is not something that born with, but the result of the nurture cultivation. He instance the human as willow tree, compared the plates which as moral, believed that human nature can be included into the norm of ethics, just like people can make plates with willows. The view from Gaozi about the origin of moral is like a simple materialism.
Mengzi said, “Can you, sir, following the nature of the willow tree, make it into cups and bowls? You must violate and rob the willow tree, and only then can you make it into cups and bowls. If you must violate and rob the willow tree in order to make it into cups and bowls, must you also violate and rob people in order to make them benevolent and righteous? If there is something that leads people to regard benevolence and righteousness as misfortunes for them, it will surely be your doctrine, will it not? ” Contrary to Gaozi, Mencius theory of goodness based on the social nature of people.
He does not deny that people have a common nature, but he believes that these nature element are common in both human beings and animals, it is not enough to reflect the essence of the unique characteristics of human nature. If human satisfied with comfort life that makes no difference with animals. Humans have a common nature, the nature is benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and moral consciousness as the content of social attributes, rather than the beast without other natural attributes So what is the mainly significant difference between human eings and animals? Here’s come with Mengzi said, “As for their essence, they can become good.
This is what I mean by calling their natures good. As for their becoming not good, this is not the fault of their potential. Humans all have the heart of compassion. Humans all have the heart of disdain. Humans all have the heart of respect. Humans all have the heart of approval and disapproval. The heart of compassion is benevolence. The heart of disdain is righteousness. The heart of respect is propriety. The heart of approval and disapproval is wisdom.
Explanation the feeling of commiseration is essential to man, that the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to man, that the feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man, and that the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man. The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence. The feeling of shame and dislike is the principle of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and complaisance is the principle of propriety. The feeling of approving and disapproving is the principle of knowledge.
This argument about heart mind of compassion is the crucial idea of Mencius’s theory. “It is not the case that only the worthy person has this heart. All humans have it. The worthy person simply never loses it. ” Mencius linked up Confucianism to the ethical norms and theory of virtue, the essence of which is that the ruling class of the patriarchal ethics as innate human nature, From the Mencius’s argument on “benevolence”. It can be seen that there is not much difference between basic content and Confucius “benevolence” such as “tt.
They are both piety and seems to satisfy the moral norm of Confucianism. But Mencius apply benevolence to politics, “benevolent governance” is put forward, revoke the high achievement of personal moral cultivation. This brought great effect on Chinese political thought. Mencius to realize human kindness, also recognize that do not stay in the day after tomorrow nature is not only the influence of the external environment, is also a result of its own factors Mencius’s theory of virtue “as the foundation of Chinese traditional culture, the Chinese level of personality and ideas are profoundly affecte
