Theories and East Asia Culture
The two Chinese philosophical doctrines propose two opposite theories with regard to human nature: Mencius believes that human nature is inherently good whereas Xunzi argues that it is inherently bad. Both philosophers base their theories on the comparison they make between human beings and animals, trying to find the conditions for the superiority of man to animals. Both theories on human nature are incomplete, since they both start from the premise that human nature is either good or bad, therefore viewing the problem from a strictly moral perspective. The reason for this is presumably the fact that the two Chinese philosophers can not account differently for man's superiority to the other animal species, except by showing that man has a moral sense, or in other words, a sense of differentiating between good and evil. Thus, according to Mencius, human nature can be defined by means of two main concepts: "jen" and "yi", which have been translated as "humanity" and "justice" respectively. Both coordinates of his theory emphasize the fact that man is seen as a social being, and the moral characteristics that best define his nature are connected with man's attitude and behavior towards the other men in his society:
" (Mencius) The theory that Mencius constructs is valid therefore insofar as he distinguishes between man and animal on the basis of his morality, as a sign of superiority. Man is conscious and self-aware, and he can reason about himself and about his own actions, and also about his surroundings. " (Behuniac, 96) Xunzi proposes also the concept of "xing" as being what it is actually innate in people: the human desires. But to Mencius, "all men can be a Yao or a Shun" and the gentleman "who is a gentleman indeed" not only may, but does, assiduously cultivate jen. Not to feel distress would be contrary to all human feeling. Men are not only inclined towards good or bad, they are inclined for example towards artistic creativity, towards knowledge and desire of discovery. Having desires above life itself and having dislikes greater than death itself is a type of mind that all men possess -it is not only confined to the worthy. Mencius argues that everything good is innate in human nature, and thus morality becomes the foremost characteristic of man. This feeling of shame and disgrace is the first sign of Justice. And how are they able to set up hierarchical divisions? I reply: through the sense of duty. There are times when one might save one's life, but only by means that are wrong. According to psychologists, for instance, the root of morality and the sense of right and wrong are only found in society, and not in the isolated individual, therefore we can conclude that moral laws are not that which define human nature as such, but only the social man, who needs rules and a hierarchy to live within a group. If they are taught to hate death above all else, then they will avoid all contingencies by which they might meet it. " ( Dobson, 131) Mencius believes thus that human perfection can be attained as long as what is inherently good in the human mind is preserved and nurtured.
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