Theory of Good Human Nature

Innate goodness is a perspective on human nature that suggests that humans are inherently good and that doing good comes more naturally than doing evil. There are various schools of thought under the theory of innate goodness, including the belief that nature itself is good, as well as the theory of goodness in human nature.

Theory of Good Human Nature
Traditional Chinese	性善論
Simplified Chinese	性善论
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xìngshàn lùn

The theory is associated with Mencius and Wang Yangming. It contrasts with Xunzi's Theory of Evil Human Nature.

Mencius believed that everyone had innate compassion. They didn't always act on it but always had potential to act on it.

Wang Yangming pushed it to an even bigger extreme. He said the streets are full of saints.

Mencius believed that human nature is good and made up of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. He regarded the heart as the place where human nature originates and develops, where one can recognize the goodness of one's nature and the brightness of one's inner heart. Mencius was focused on searching for the root and original heart, which is why he is known for his theory of establishing the foundation. Itō Jinsai, a Japanese Confucian thinker from the Edo period, praised and promoted Mencius' theory of the goodness of nature and the four ends of the mind.

Human nature

The term "xing" (性) means "human nature" and refers to the way people are born. Mencius thought that human nature was good. Xunzi disagreed and believed that human nature was evil.

Both believed in human nature and both believed it was possible to become better, but some people refused it. Mencius saw Xing as more related to an ideal state and Xunzi saw it more as a starting state

Wang Yangming went further and said that Xing could become Li or principle. That human nature could be perfected,

Mencius

Mencius was an advocate of the idea that humanity was intrinsically good. Xunzi by contrast believed in innate evilness. Some scholars think Mencius actually didn't believe people were intrinsically good but rather that it was in human nature to have a potential to be good Mencius tried to find the root of human nature. The view of the theory of the goodness of nature and the four endings of the heart was also praised and spread by the Confucian thinker Itō Jinsai of Japan in the Edo period. His writings on the goodness of human nature include statements such as.

Mencius said, 'All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. 'The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm. When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favour of the child's parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing. From this case we may perceive that 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. Men have these four principles just as they have their four limbs. When men, having these four principles, yet say of themselves that they cannot develop them, they play the thief with themselves, and he who says of his prince that he cannot develop them plays the thief with his prince. Since all men have these four principles in themselves, let them know to give them all their development and completion, and the issue will be like that of fire which has begun to burn, or that of a spring which has begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to love and protect all within the four seas. Let them be denied that development, and they will not suffice for a man to serve his parents with.'

— Mencius: Gongsun Chou I

The feeling of commiseration belongs to all men; so does that of shame and dislike; and that of reverence and respect; and that of approving and disapproving. The feeling of commiseration implies the principle of benevolence; that of shame and dislike, the principle of righteousness; that of reverence and respect, the principle of propriety; and that of approving and disapproving, the principle of knowledge.

— Mencius: Gaozi I

Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi built upon Mencius' theory of natural goodness, but also introduced his own modifications. According to Zhu Xi, 'natural goodness' is inherently good, but human desire for evil arises later in life. See #Rousseau for a similar position

Literary

The first sentence of the Three Character Classic, a popular enlightenment book in Zhong Yuan, is "At the beginning of man, nature is good"; this seems to be the view of the common literati and Baixing. The scholar Luo Si-guang believes that the traditional Chinese literati were overly optimistic about human nature and failed to set up various checking power measures as the West did, thus failing to eradicate corrupt officials for thousands of years.。

Wang Yangming

The streets are full of saints, which is recorded in Wang Yangming's masterpiece " Record of Transmission and Learning ", which is one of the important philosophical arguments of Yangming's philosophy of mind . Modern translation:

Mr. Wang Yangming's words on cultivating people are the most moving.

One day, Wang Gen returned from his outing. Wang Yangming asked him, "What did you see on your trip?" Wang Gen replied, "I saw saints everywhere on the streets." Wang Yangming said, "If you see saints everywhere, then they see a saint in you too."

Another day, Dong Yun returned from his outing and saw Wang Yangming. He said, "I saw something unusual today in broad daylight." Wang Yangming asked, "What was unusual?" Dong Yun replied, "I saw saints everywhere on the streets." Wang Yangming said, "That's nothing unusual. You just haven't realized it yet."

In general, Wang Gen still had rough edges in his character, while Dong Yun had some understanding in his confusion. Therefore, Wang Yangming asked them the same question but gave them different answers, teaching them by turning their words around.

Qian Dehong, Huang Zhengzhi, Zhang Shuqian, and Wang Ruzhong participated in the imperial examination in the year of Bingxu and returned. They described to Wang Yangming the situation of lecturing during their journey home, saying that some people believed them while others did not. Wang Yangming said, "If you bring a saint to teach people, they will be afraid and leave. You have to lower your own posture and be like a fool to teach others."

Qian Dehong also said that it is easiest to distinguish a person's character today. Wang Yangming asked, "How do you know that?" Qian Dehong replied, "Sir, you are like Mount Tai in front of me, making me look up to you. Anyone who doesn't respect you is blind." Wang Yangming said, "Mount Tai is not as big as the flat ground. What is there to look up to on the flat ground?" With one sentence, Wang Yangming cut through Qian Dehong's arrogant attitude, and everyone listening to the lecture was awakened.

Philosophical meaning

In "Biography and Xilu," there is a brief conversation about Wang Yangming's teaching method with three students: Wang Gen, Dong Yun, and Qian Dehong. He taught them differently based on their abilities. This was different from the Confucian tradition of teaching each student according to their specific needs, which had been in practice since Confucius.

Wang Yangming believes that everyone has a kind heart and the potential to become a saint. He thinks that "the streets are full of saints" is not strange and looks at people from their essence. This belief is consistent with Mencius's theory of "human nature is good" and Chinese folk opinions since the Song Dynasty, such as "human nature is inherently good" in the "San Zi Jing". Wang Yangming also wrote "Ode to Conscience" in simple language, where he says that everyone has a Zhongni in their heart, and they will cover up their confusion by seeing suffering. He thinks that once their sincerity is recognized, they will not doubt their conscience. Wang Yangming thinks that saints are not different from ordinary people; they have the same heart and nature. He believes that "the streets are full of saints" is a generally accepted fact, and it is not unusual.

Wang Yangming believed that education was important. He also made a comparison between "Mount Tai" and "flat land" to emphasize that saints are not better than others and should not be worshipped. As a teacher, one should present oneself as an ordinary person, and sometimes even lower one's posture to be like a "foolish man and a foolish woman" before teaching.

Western

Adam Smith

Adam Smith thought that people are inherently good and have a concern for others. This feeling is called sympathy, and it arises when we see or imagine the misfortunes of others. This emotion is not just limited to people with high character, but even villains and those who break the laws of society can still feel it. Smith believed that empathy is a primitive feeling in human nature, and it is essential for creating a good society..' He wrote about this in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Rousseau

French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued in "Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men" that human nature was fundamentally good but chaotic, and if people were taught to respect rules but keep that love then they could create a just society. He strongly believed in innate goodness

Criticism

See the main article: Theory of Evil Human Nature

The theory of the goodness of human nature is not fully compatible with the Song and Ming traditions of Confucian Psychology (Xinxue, 心學), and it is contrary to the advocates of the theory of the goodness of human nature such as Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming, which has been criticized and opposed by some scholars in the academic world.。　

Related pages

• Theory of Evil Human Nature
• A Treatise of Human Nature
• Human nature
• Noble savage
• Problem of evil
• State of nature

Other websites

• Chinese paper comparing Mencius and Rousseau