Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the outlooks of two Chinese philosophers on human nature. First, the paper examines Mencius, who adhered most to Confucian thinking and viewed human nature as intrinsically good with its opposites often created by circumstances. In comparison, Xunzi argued that human nature was intrinsically bad, prone to temptation and corruption so that social rituals became important and encouraging ideals of self improvement which some people would take up.

From the Paper
"The views of Mencius and Xunzi show that both belonged to the same Chinese civilization as men to draw from the ideas of Confucius (551-479 BC). They deviated in different ways from Confucian thought and strongly in their approaches to human nature as a topic that has interested various scholars, it would seem, over time. (Dubs 1956, Hwang 1979) Mencius saw the individual person as fundamentally good, in contrast with Xunzi's view of human nature as bad and in need of care and correction. This paper addresses the contrasting approaches of Mencius and Xunzi and then the..."

Tags:mencius, xunzi, human nature

Abstract
The paper compares ideas of Mencius and Xunzi in relation to Confucius. The paper examines how Mencius and Xunzi were Confucian in outlook but Mencius had an optimistic view of human nature in great contrast with Xunzi. Mencius was harder on those with authority, whereas Xunzi saw the Dao as important for everyone, and with people of all kinds able to radically transform themselves.

From the Paper
"Mencius and Xunzi offered philosophies that show that they do belong to the same Chinese civilization and that they inherited the ideas of Confucius. (551-479 BC) However, they departed from Confucius in ways that would help to create other lines of Chinese philosophy. In all three, one sees a division between the social and the individual, but also, thought on how leadership influenced the individual, and the role of both individuals and the ruler in making a better society of better people."

Tags:mencius, xunzi, confucius

Abstract
This paper examines the views of Mencius and Xunzi, Chinese philosophers from c. 300 B.C., who belonged to the school of thought of Confucius (551-479 BC). It compares their differing approaches to human nature and relates that while Mencius saw the individual as fundamentally good, Xunzi's viewed human nature as bad and in need of care and correction. The paper addresses the influence of these two extremely influential philosophers, whose contrasting approaches continue to be seen today in Chinese civilization. The paper concludes that their thoughts on human nature are timeless and, thus, they will continue to be reviewed and discussed for many years to come.

Outline:
Introduction
Human Nature as Corruptible
Man as Weak and Bad
Implications over Time
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper
"Mencius spent years moving from court to court and we presume that he had many chances to see how feudal rulers chose to lead. He was a sought after advisor to different rulers towards much thinking on what worked and what did not to restore order, for example, or prevent future troubles. He seems to have come up with something like the Social Contract that shaped Western thinking in the modern era in a model of a decent kind of leadership and attention to the needs of life and protecting citizens to which individuals could adhere. If a decent environment was not provided, then the people should be expected to overthrow those in power towards new leadership. In the view of Mencius, a ruler must show jen in humaneness, humanity and benevolence, as a very old Chinese concept indeed. (Chan Jen) There should also be the yi of righteousness and a sense of duty, if a ruler wanted to see righteousness, cooperation and industriousness amongst his subjects."

Tags:Asia, China, morality, Chinese, philosophy, ethics, Confucius, Zen, Jen, good, evil

Abstract
The paper shows how the modern interpretation that can be gathered from this analysis of Mencius and Xunzi resides with the hope for the cultivation of human nature. The paper looks at how Mencius offers the hope of change in the goodness that he sees in people that might have been raised in difficult situations. The paper discusses how the idea of "human nature" is far more open to change and manipulation in the tenets of Mencius than in the strict and often limited changes that can be made for the human spirit under Xunzi.

Tags:menciuss, philosophy, morals

Abstract
The paper relates that both Mencius and Xunzi were faithful disciples of Confucius, and played significant roles in promoting the teachings. The paper argues that while they seem to draw two opposing philosophies from the same set of teachings, both interpretations have value, and it is not possible to ascertain who was closer to Confucius. The paper illustrates how the dispute stems from a mere confusion of terms; Mencius is talking about the spiritual man, while Xunzi considers the material dimension.

From the Paper
"Confucius professed to have taught nothing new, but rather to have promoted the traditional way. He stressed that all his teachings were rooted in the Dao. This is the spiritual path, borne of the wisdom of the ancient sage kings, and the substance of the Dao Te Ching, a later collection of the teachings in poetical form. Despite this we recognize originality in the teachings of Confucius, this in terms of his graphic and prosaic style. By putting the teachings into simple and direct language he had lent to it a universal accessibility, something that was not there before. Because of this quality it became eventually possible for the state to adopt it as ethic of governance, and to set up an examination which became the basis of official state appointments."

Tags:Confucius, Tao, Ching, human, nature, virtue, evil

Abstract
This paper compares Confucian concept with Buddhist concept of "human nature". Buddhism emphasizes the spirituality of the individual, and is a more "inward-oriented" philosophy. Therefore, as will be argued, while Confucianism represents "human nature" as external actions and rituals shaping the inner man, Buddhism represents the "Buddha nature" as the inner man achieving ultimate selflessness through meditation and reflection.

Tags:compare, confucian, concept

Abstract
This paper explains Confucius' positive view of human nature by which all people need guidance to learn the joy of ren or love in moral purpose/service. The paper compares this to the cultivation of Buddha Nature that Confucius would have seen as quite asocial, selfish and not in keeping with his humanist dynamic of helping to create a better society that fit with the cosmos.

From the Paper
"The contrast that is found between Confucian ideas of human nature and the Buddhist concept of `Buddha nature' has to do with very old Chinese debates on the basic nature of the person. For Confucius, human beings were basically good. They needed direction and might need to be corrected. The bad person was someone that had not had the right training for life, so that he or she had not learned to maintain a good approach to others. The bad person could not see society or the..."

Tags:confucius, human nature, buddha nature

Abstract
The paper posits that Joseph Conrad's novelette, "Heart of Darkness", is considered by many as one of the great classics in English literature. The paper relates that the story itself takes place in the anachronistic setting of the Congo jungle. The paper shows how as the story's protagonist, Charlie Marlow, edges ever so slowly up the primal Congo River, Conrad's masterful use of literary device draws the reader closer and closer to the truth about human nature.

From the Paper
"Joseph Conrad's novelette, "Heart of Darkness", is considered by many as one of the great classics in English literature. The story itself takes place in the anachronistic setting of the Congo jungle. As the story's protagonist, Charlie Marlow, edges ever so slowly up the primal Congo River, Conrad's masterful use of literary device draws the reader closer and closer to the truth about human nature. Conrad sets the tone of the story at the onset of the first scene as..."

Tags:joseph conrad, heart of darkness, human nature

Abstract
The paper compares and contrasts the views of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Montaigne, and Luther on human nature and society.

From the Paper
"What is man? What drives his nature? These are questions that major philosophers and theologians have asked and attempted to answer definitively, but there is no clear universal understanding of the issue. This brief essay will consider four approaches to the topic, drawing upon the work of Machiavelli, Martin Luther Montaigne and Hobbes. Machiavelli saw men as obstinate in their ways and as likely to prosper and submit to societies dictates only so far as their own fortunes were benefitted."

Tags:Machiavelli, Hobbes, Montaigne, Luther, human nature, society

Abstract
Using a 1750 essay written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the essay explores some of the ideas about human nature, about man's needing to simplify his thinking and reduce posing as somethiung he is noit. Questions about the misconceptions of patriotism, reliance on history, and some ideas about what sort of architecture Rousseau would approve of based on his ideas about being "unique."

From the Paper
ROUSSEAU'S VIEWS ON HUMAN NATURE More people remember something Rene Descartes said more than a hundred years before Rousseau. Rousseau more or less disputes the idea that "I think, therefore I am." In fact, while Rousseau admires how far man has come to what he calls "the art of thinking" (Rousseau 133) he also is concerned about the poses some men put on. He is concerned about French national character, and the bar set high by the foundations laid by Greece and Rome, when he stated that "One no longer dares to appear as he is" (134). Part of that, he seems to feel, is due to man`s development of arts and sciences. He makes it quite clear that in the absence of so-called

Tags:human nature, architecture, national character