Xunzi

• Born: 300 BCE
• Died: 237 BCE

Xunxi was a Confucian philosopher of the Warring States period.

In contrast to his rough contemporary Mencius (370-290 BCE), who argued that human nature was inherently good, Xunxi purported that human desires and emotions, if left unchecked, would lead to societal conflict. He felt that education was aimed at teaching etiquette and morality, in order to help check these natural desires, selfishness, and unruliness, and advocated systems of punishment and reward to help shape people's actions.

Xunxi also purported that the will of Heaven was impartial and amoral, and indifferent to whether temporal rulers were benevolent or tyrannical. This notion is in stark contrast to Mencius' idea of a moral will of Heaven that enforced benevolence, and a Mandate of Heaven, a divine legitimacy, which could be 'lost' by tyrannical rulers.

References

• Albert Craig, The Heritage of Chinese Civilization, Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 19.