Xunzi (Hsun Tzu), Chinese Philosopher, Outline

Xunzi(Shoon-zee)

• 310-219 B.C.E.
• Hsun-Tzu
• a Confucian
  • Kongzi (Confucius)– human nature good?
  • Mengzi (Mencius) – human nature good.
  • Xunzi – human nature is bad.
    • if human nature is inherently good, what do we need the rites for?
    • Though Mengzi would have said: sprouts of goodness in you, must be watered
      • it's goodness if fragile, and needs careful tending
      • importance of ritual – sprouts of goodness must be nurtured, ritual is necessary for this
• what Xunzi is not saying:
  • that human nature is totally depraved, or evil
    • this is Calvinism
• Xunzi is saying more: motivated by desire – pursuit of pleasure
  • if we all try (indiscriminately) to satisfy our appetites, we come into conflict
  • one must hold these attitudes in check
  • this can be modified, and our nature can be turned around – by following ritual and learning
  • born without any moral sense at all (?) and this must be cultivated
• human nature is bad, but can be fixed
  • humans are selfish, perhaps overly concerned with the pursuit of pleasure
  • eating, drinking, sexing, etc.
  • ritual is for keeping this in check
• people are born with unrestricted desire – p. 274
  • no innate inhibitions
  • nature has limited resources
  • leads to chaos
  • this is somewhat of a historical account, aimed at inhibiting/channeling desire
  • we want people to satisfy their seeking without exhausting material goods
  • attain the maximum amount of desire satisfaction without overindulging, exhausting all resources
• connection between ritual & virtue
  • virtue is associated with moderating desires
  • one becomes a better human being by moderating desire
  • ritual can help with this
  • good social consequences
• ex. ritual: I pass the peas
  • accompanied by the proper disposition: my inner states (feelings that go along with it)
  • not saying
• in the West, virtue theory is about cultivating dispositions
  • I have a virtue if I have a disposition (consistent tendency) to do a certain thing under a certain set of circumstances
  • ex. a generous person feels naturally inclined to help, and feels right in doing so
  • this disposition can be cultivated
• music is part of human nature
  • think about it – how often is it playing
• p. 261 – make sure you have critics nearby, or you will not perfect yourself
• connection between virtue and qi
  • p. 263