Eastern Philosophy · China & Japan
Mencius & Xunzi
Confucius's two great successors split on the deepest question: is human nature good (Mencius, the four sprouts) or bad (Xunzi, ritual as straightening wood)? And what that meant for education and government.
Step 1 of 5 · Overview25 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: Confucius. Next: Legalism & Han Feizi; Wang Yangming. Sources: *Mengzi*, trans. Bryan Van Norden (2008); *Xunzi*, trans. Eric Hutton (2014); Philip J. Ivanhoe, *Confucian Moral Self Cultivation* (2000).Next: 1. Mencius: nature is good