Hsun Tzu's Encouraging Learn

Hsun Tzu’s Encouraging Learning’s main philosophy of education is to produce a refined man with an honest coherence. A man of ritual behavior, a person who would only think of doing what is good and right, a man who is enthusiastic to learn from the noble person before him, and a man of moral character. Based on his writing, he believed that even those people who had these traits and talent were still required to study to achieve one’s goals. To become an educated gentleman, the individual

“Man’s nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity. The nature of man is such that he is born with a fondness for profit. If he indulges this fondness, It will lead him into wrangling and strife, and all sense of courtesy and humility will disappear. He is born with feelings of envy and hate, and if he indulges theses, they will lead him into violence and crime, and all sense of loyalty and good faith will disappear.” (Tzu 84). Hsun Tzu is one of many people who believe that mans nature is evil. Tzu argues that man is full of hate. Hsun Tzu made some very good points,

Education now is something that is a way of life, just as eating is. However historically, education was one of the only ways to stand out in society, to be a ‘gentlemen’. Hsun Tzu and Frederick Douglas, though worlds apart, share many similarities on their view of education and what it should be like; at the same time, each text contains key elements that show how different their views can be and the reason behind it.

Mencius and Hsun Tzu had different ideas about it. First of all, Mencius believed that human nature is good from the very beginning of their lives. But he also assumes that human nature is linked to other things like inherent qualities such as moral senses. (2016, 2A.6) For example, Mencius describes the sense of sympathy, sense of shame and sense of respect. (2016, 6A.6) According to Mencius these qualities are with us from the first day to our last day. He supports his idea of innate moral senses, with an example of that is a child falling into a well. He asserts that no one can turn their back on a situation like this. (2016, 2A.6) That example was his evidence to support the existence of moral senses. On the other hand, this wasn’t the case for Hsun Tzu he thought something else. Hsun Tzu assumes that human nature is evil and human nature is built upon benefits. (1963, 1) If people gain profit from that event they will be willing to do that because of their desires. Hsun Tzu asserts that this motivation explains human being’s evil behaviour. (1963, 1) In other words that it is a response to desire. Desire is still causing many problems in world. For example, people steal because of desire for money and people gossip because of their desire to see someone in a bad condition. People have desires and this is the source of the evil inside them. And for the last Hsun Tzu thought that nature is not something you can

While Mencius believes that humans are inherently good, but can be corrupted by circumstance, Hsun Tzu argues that man is not inherently good at all. He rejects this view, saying that Mencius "has not really understood man's nature nor distinguished properly between the basic nature and conscious activity" (158). Hsun Tzu does admit that humans have some inherent good in them: "man possesses energy, life, intelligence…" (45). Even so, Hsun Tzu believed that any such inherent good can be lost completely, and that the evil of man can overwhelm him beyond hope: "in the case of the incorrigibly evil men, punish them without trying to reform them" (33). This means that self-improvement alone (and not nature) can save humans, as Hsun Tzu believed that all humans start with the same basic nature: "the gentleman by birth is no different from any other man" (16). Hsun Tzu again returns to his belief that for man to evolve beyond his evil nature, "learning must never cease" (15).

Over a period of year’s education has grown to be very important to many cultures all over the world. At one time in many cultures children were only taught what was necessary to get along and sometimes only children of the wealthy would be taught. China’s government

An educated person is someone who uses the necessary knowledge to facilitate and thus succeed in all aspects of life. Even John Henry Newman delineates the purpose of a higher education, which not only makes a smoother transition to a variety of realistic careers but also helps humans grow and develop over time. As a strong advocate of Confucius’ disciples of education, Hsün Tzu intends to favor a learning process that starts at birth and ends at death. In addition, he compares it to the processes of straightening a piece of wood and sharpening a piece of metal. He finds this comparison to be emphasizing the significance of the education that, in his opinion, the Chinese should turn themselves to. Tzu is correct that education should promote

Confucius created the doctrine that 300 years after his death became a permanent impulse of social life in China, established rules of behaviour not only in the state, but also the family as a social unit.1

Would these people be considered evil and if so how did they become this way? Were they born this was or was it some sort of external forces that led them to become evil? Well according to Hsun Tao, another Chinese philosopher, humans were born of an evil nature and with some sort of guidance from a teacher could learn to become good. He believed that what is natural to human beings is desire and desire inevitably leads to conflict; since this is evil then so is the nature the results within. Yet referring back to the young child and well example, why would most people do the right thing? Is it because they are taught to be good again is it something that is deeper? However, another Chinese philosopher, Kao Tzu, beleived that human nature is neither inherently good nor inherently evil but rather a "blank slate" that could be conditioned in both directions. When an individual is born he/she has no ideas or preexisting behaviors but that through life experiences and external forces, such as family and friends, that influence ones human nature. Or according to John Locke "the mind at birth is a blank white sheet of paper on which experience writes."

Hsun Tzu wrote an essay called “A Man’s Nature is Evil.” The idea behind this essay is to show that a man’s nature is evil, and that goodness is the result of conscious activity (Tzu, 2017, p. 709). This idea depicts that human beings are evil from the beginning of their lives. One must be taught “the ways of the sages”, as Tzu would describe. In his essay, Tzu compared human beings to that of a warped piece of wood. Tzu states that “a warped piece of wood must wait until it has been laid against a straightening board, steamed, and forced into shape before it can become straight” (Tzu, 2017, p. 710). I do agree that we must be taught how to be good when we are born. But, I do not agree that a man’s nature is “evil.” Instead, I believe that a person’s nature is to think for the benefit of

Confucius created his educational code 500 years before the birth of Christ (Gutek, 2011). According to Confucius, the purpose of education was to transmit cultural heritage through ritual, tradition, and hierarchy. He originally had a desire to enter into government service, but after traveling throughout China and studying various political institutions and traditions, he returned home and opened a school that combined both his goals of government service and teaching. Confucius believed that government officials needed to be highly educated and prepared to be ethical and benevolent leaders. The purpose of education was “an ethical theory intended to guide people on the way, or the path, to leading the

The Tao Te Ching can be helpful to all, and the reading of it may be enlightening. Reading the Tao can give much insight on the challenges and dangers that humans must face in this world, how a person should live his life, the dangers of a powerful ruler, how the state should rule, how citizens should serve the state, and the messages or forewarnings for us today.

Availability and understanding of available information by an individual was taken as a very important treasure. The issues that Confucius taught to be followed were not entirely scientific learning but rather the study of the consecrated contents and the tenets of good worth and propriety (Oliver, 1985). An additional element which he held high was the control of proper example. The heroes, heroines and great people that existed were greatly exemplified by Confucius. Confucius did this by persisting on the scrutiny of the conservative models. Many of his well recorded aphorisms are tributes of his considered men of high caliber. Confucius trained his supporters the significance of constantly welcoming the rectification of personal liabilities. To further assist in the creation of an upright moral fiber, he cherished a particular amount of strength of will. He acknowledged the threat, particularly in the youthful, of falling into unwanted behavior, so he persisted on eradicating the push for uncalled for reassurances (Ferguson, 1972).

I believe that this individualistic ideal is indeed a consideration in why such a great emphasis is placed on study and academic success both in ancient and modern China. But whilst looking into the topic, I discovered that there was an underlying model of communitarianism with their ethos on study. Chinese people believe that a sound education does not only ensure the future of the individual, but also the future and the development of the family and country on the whole. What this means is the Chinese people believe that that only through study, will China be able to ensure the longevity of its people and nation. The maxim from the Three-Character Scripture (an ancient Chinese writing) states, “if no proper education is given to children, their nature will go bad.” I believe the word “nature” can easily be substituted for the overall health of the future of the nation.

Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this